Online Gambling in Austria
Background
Until 2010 Austria’s gambling industry was closed to operators from other EU nations. All 11 casino concessions were granted to the largely state owned monopoly Casinos Austria AG, who in partnership with Österreichische Lotterien operated the only sanctioned online casino – Win2Day.
Following pressure from the European Commission to change licensing and regulations to be more compliant with EU law, the Austrian government amended the Austrian Gambling Act (Glücksspielgesetz) in June 2010 to allow for 3 new licenses to be granted to operators based in other EU countries. But the law still requires that those operators hold a corporate seat in Austria for their license bid to be successful.
In September 2010 the European Court of Justice found Austria’s gaming laws to be a violation of EU freedom of services laws and discriminatory against other EU operators. While the case being adjudicated dealt specifically with the pre-June Glückspielgesetz, commentators have said that the ruling still clearly confirmed that the current requirement for EU licensed online operators to be physically present in Austria in order to be able to market an online casino there was inconsistent with EU law.
Roulette with dealers chatting in German, @ 888
Today live games providers, and well known casinos offer a number of tables tailored to German speaking markets.
Major Operators
Due to the restrictive nature of the Austrian gambling market, the major operators are primarily state-owned entities.
- Casinos Austria: Casinos Austria holds the exclusive license to operate land-based casinos and offers online casino games through its digital platform, win2day.
- Österreichische Lotterien GmbH: This state-owned company operates the national lottery and offers a variety of online gambling products, including lottery games, sports betting, and casino games, through the win2day platform.
- Admiral Casinos & Entertainment AG: Part of the Novomatic Group, Admiral operates both land-based and online gambling services in Austria. Although primarily focused on land-based operations, Admiral has a significant presence in the online sector as well
Best live casinos for Austrian players
Ironically, when an EU member’s protectionist approach to online gambling is viewed as challengeable under EU law, major operators tend to treat it as a grey market and are happy to accept players. Consequently, Austrian players are able to access some leading live casinos based outside Austria.
