Austria has taken another major step toward ending its online gambling monopoly, launching a public consultation on draft legislation that would pave the way for a regulated licensing system scheduled to begin in October 2027. The consultation follows the government’s recent agreement on a timetable for opening the market and introduces the country’s most significant gambling reforms in more than two decades.
Under the proposed framework, eligible operators will be able to apply for licences provided they meet strict regulatory requirements. These include maintaining a supervisory board, demonstrating robust anti-money laundering and player protection measures, and holding a minimum share capital of €10 million.
The capital requirement is notably higher than those adopted in several other European jurisdictions. Estonia, for example, requires €1 million in share capital for online licence applicants, while Finland intends to assess operators individually without imposing a fixed capital threshold. The draft licence fee in Austria has been set at €70,000.
The proposals also introduce a mandatory cooling-off period. Companies seeking a licence would have to stop offering gambling services in Austria by 1 January 2027 and remain inactive until their applications are approved. Operators that continue serving the market during this period could be barred from obtaining a licence for 18 months.
In addition, licences would only be available to businesses headquartered in jurisdictions where Austrian court judgments can be enforced. Applicants would also need to clear any outstanding tax obligations and player protection liabilities before entering the regulated market.
The draft legislation includes a wide range of player protection measures. Customers aged 18 to 26 would face a weekly deposit limit of €250, while players aged 26 and over would be limited to monthly deposits of €1,680. Individuals aged 23 and above could request higher limits following an individual assessment.
Online casino stakes would be capped at €5 per bet, with maximum winnings limited to €10,000. The rules would also require at least two seconds between slot spins and impose mandatory cooling-off breaks after 90 minutes of continuous play. At the same time, jackpot features would once again be permitted under the new regime.
On the enforcement side, Austria plans to strengthen its powers against unlicensed gambling. The regulator would gain authority to order payment providers to block transactions linked to blacklisted IBAN accounts, while IP blocking measures would target illegal operators through major infrastructure providers including AWS, Cloudflare and Google.
The proposals also call for the creation of a centralised self-exclusion register covering nearly all forms of gambling, with lottery products remaining under the state’s Win2Day monopoly.
Industry stakeholders have until 15 July 2026 to submit feedback before the government moves forward with the next stage of the legislative process.