Austria has published a draft law to scrap the online gambling monopoly held by Casinos Austria and its win2day brand and replace it with an open licensing system, the country's three-party coalition confirmed. The reform is described by officials as the most significant change to Austrian gambling law in 26 years, as covered by Gaming Intelligence.
Under the draft, any provider that meets the requirements can apply for an online licence. Applicants must show a working anti-money laundering compliance framework and hold at least €10 million in share capital. The plan ends a structure that has reserved Austria's regulated online offering for a single state-linked operator.
The timeline is staged. From 1 January 2027 a cooling-off period begins, during which would-be applicants must stop offering unlicensed online services in Austria. Providers that respect that pause become eligible to receive an online licence from 30 September 2027. Operators that keep running illegal services face an 18-month waiting period before they can be licensed, a penalty that extends to 24 months from 2030.
The reform pairs market opening with strict player protection. The draft sets deposit limits of €250 per week for players aged 18 to 26 and €1,680 per month for those over 26, mandatory cooling-off periods, a halved slot stake ceiling of €5, and a centralised self-exclusion register.
There is a caveat for anyone planning around the dates. Austria's earlier ambition of standing up an independent gambling regulator by summer 2026 has slipped. Establishing a dedicated authority to replace oversight currently sitting with the Ministry of Finance could take six to twelve months, which means the licensing model may arrive before the regulator that is meant to run it.
"Opening up the online market ends outdated monopoly structures, creates new investment incentives, and strengthens Austria as a business location," said Andreas Ottenschläger, finance spokesperson for the ÖVP, the senior partner in the governing coalition.
For operators eyeing entry, Austria is moving from a closed market to a contestable one, but on a clock that rewards patience: those who exit the grey market cleanly during the cooling-off window get to the front of the licence queue. The draft must still pass the legislative process, so the capital threshold, the protection limits and the 2027 dates remain subject to change before they are law.