Austria’s highly anticipated gambling law has been postponed at the EU level following an intervention by the Maltese government.
The amendments to the gambling act – which will bring an end to Austria’s online gambling monopoly – had been due to clear the EU notification period on Thursday. But on Wednesday morning, a detailed opinion from Malta triggered an automatic extension, pushing the end date back to December 7.
The delay means the Austrian government will need to act quickly to pass its legislation before the law is due to enter into force next year. However, market stakeholders do not foresee significant delays to the parliamentary schedule.
