Austria remains a federal monopoly jurisdiction for online and land-based gambling under the 1989 GSpG, but the government has for the first time published concrete draft legislation aimed at ending the online monopoly. The draft amendment, notified to the European Commission under the TRIS mechanism around 4 August 2026, sits in mandatory standstill until 5 November 2026, meaning final legislation cannot be adopted before that date. The current market structure is unchanged: win2day.at remains the sole licensed online-gambling provider, and Casinos Austria AG holds the land-based casino concession. This is the most concrete reform instrument yet published on this jurisdiction, materially advancing the regulatory picture from consultation to formal EU review, though the monopoly itself persists in the interim.
Austria · Question 01 of 11
Overview: What kind of market is this?
Unfavourable · Confirmed · Not reviewed · 1 post-review update · Not reviewed · Back to full Austria report →
Key section parameters
| Jurisdiction | Austria (AT) |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Recorded in register |
| Favourability | Unfavourable |
| Confidence | Confirmed |
| Review status | Not reviewed · 1 post-review update · Not reviewed |
| Last collected | 18 Oct 2026 |
Summary answer
Austria remains a federal monopoly jurisdiction for online and land-based gambling under the 1989 GSpG, but the government has for the first time published concrete draft legislation aimed at ending the online monopoly. The draft amendment, notified to the European Commission under the TRIS mechanis…
Key headwinds & conditions
- Closed federal online casino monopoly — no entry pathway for private operators
- 40-45% GGR online tax makes any licensed model commercially marginal
- OGH civil-nullity line exposes offshore operators to player loss-recovery claims
Austria's coalition government has agreed the first comprehensive reform of the Glücksspielgesetz since 1989, moving from a single-operator online gambling monopoly toward a multi-licence, closely supervised model. The draft was notified to the European Commission under the TRIS procedure on 4 August 2026, opening a mandatory three-month standstill before enactment can proceed. The reform pairs structural liberalisation with a capped land-based casino regime of 13 licences and new player-protection mandates, positioning Austria as a jurisdiction in active transition from monopoly to open competition. Public consultation on the draft closed 15 July 2026, and the reform's fate now rests on EU review and subsequent domestic enactment before any new licensing procedure can begin.