Austria Moves Toward New Gambling Licensing System as EU Deadline Nears
Austria’s proposed gambling reform is approaching a key European deadline. The review period under the European Commission’s Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS) is set to end on November 5, 2026.
The Ministry of Finance wants to replace the country’s online gambling monopoly with a system that allows multiple licensed operators to enter the market.
Under the TRIS process, EU member states and the European Commission can review the proposed rules and submit comments. Austria can continue parliamentary discussions during this period, but the legislation cannot be adopted before it ends.
If the reform moves forward, new online gambling licences could be awarded from January 1, 2027. Licensed operators would then be able to begin operations from October 1, 2027.
Companies that previously offered gambling services in Austria without local authorization could also apply. However, they must stop their unauthorized activities by the end of December 2026 and meet outstanding tax and legal obligations.
The proposed rules also include stronger player protection measures, such as a central self-exclusion register, deposit limits across operators, and personal spending and time limits. Players would need to wait 72 hours before increases to their personal limits take effect.
Authorities would also receive additional powers to block payments and websites linked to illegal gambling.
Austria’s current online gambling concession is held by Österreichische Lotterien through its win2day brand and expires on September 30, 2027.
