Austria's online gambling market may soon undergo significant changes, as the long-standing monopoly system is expected to be dismantled. The Ministry of Finance is about to announce a reform plan, and it is widely predicted that this will end the current situation where Win2day exclusively operates, moving towards an open licensing system. With the existing licenses expiring in 2027, Austria is facing a critical reform window. More detailed European market analysis reports are available on the PASA official website.
Current Monopoly Status and Reform Momentum
Currently, the Austrian online gambling market is exclusively operated by the Austrian Lottery's Win2day brand, with this 15-year license expiring in 2027. At the same time, 6 out of 12 physical casino licenses will also expire in the same year, providing a rare opportunity for reform. The chairman of the Austrian Gambling Association openly states that now is closer to achieving reform than any time in the past 5-10 years, and the industry is full of expectations.
Political Negotiation and Time Pressure
The three political parties in the ruling coalition—the People's Party, the Freedom Party, and the Social Democratic Party—are all pushing for licensing system reforms, but specific plans still require political negotiation. The Ministry of Finance plans to release a draft, and all parties will draft a new gambling law from February to March next year, completing legislation before summer. However, time is quite tight, and the bidding process takes about two years. There are reports that the Ministry of Finance is considering extending the current licenses by one year to 2028, but this may lead to legal challenges.
Tax and Regulatory Challenges
The government has recently raised the online gambling tax from 40% to 45%, and the betting tax has doubled from 2% to 5%. Industry experts point out that such high tax rates may hinder players from switching to legal channels, and German research shows that for every percentage point the tax rate exceeds 30%, the black market share may increase by 1%. In addition, Austria needs to establish a comprehensive player protection mechanism, as the current regulations and supervision are relatively weak.
Future Directions and Industry Impact
Although the direction of reform is clear, the specific model still remains uncertain: whether to completely open up licensing or set a limit on the number of licenses? Germany's previously failed policy of limiting the number of licenses can serve as a lesson. The industry also looks forward to the establishment of an independent gambling regulatory authority, but setting up such an authority takes time. Nevertheless, as one of the few European countries to maintain an online gambling monopoly, Austria's reform will have a significant impact on the entire European market.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders" gambling news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
