Although the pace of change in Austria has been glacial, the ice is finally beginning to crack. After months of rumors, a draft gambling law from the Finance Ministry leaked on [May 27] revealed that an end to the decades-long online gambling monopoly is now on the horizon.
With the current online gambling license – held by Austrian Lotteries’ brand Win2Day – set to expire in 2027, a new tender process lies ahead. This time, however, there will likely be not one, but several licenses up for grabs.
Explaining why the monopoly should be replaced, the Finance Ministry said the model had become “hard to enforce” in the digital age, particularly in the cross-border online sector.
