Austria's long-standing new gambling law negotiations have finally entered the final stage of approval for each clause. Representatives from the center-right People's Party, the center-left Social Democratic Party, and the liberal NEOS will finalize the details this week. A draft from the Ministry of Finance leaked to the media at the end of May has confirmed that after the current licenses expire in 2027, Austria's online gambling monopoly will officially end. However, the industry is more concerned about another question than "when will the doors open": who is eligible to enter. A "cooling-off period" clause pushed by the Social Democratic Party and the Ministry of Finance is becoming the biggest point of contention at the negotiation table—operators who have violated Austrian gambling laws in the past five years will face a ban of 24 to 36 months. In other words, offshore platforms that are currently operating in a gray area might have to be left out in the cold for two to three years once the new law takes effect.
The monopolist's calculation: Illegal yesterday, licensed today, absurd
The cooling-off period clause did not come out of nowhere. Casinos Austria, the monopoly enterprise of Austria's land-based casinos—whose subsidiary holds the current sole online gambling license—has been the most active backer, with the Ministry of Finance holding shares in the company until recently. Casinos Austria spokesperson Patrick Minar was uncompromising in an interview with the "Crown Newspaper": "Operating illegally one day and obtaining a license the next day—that's absurd." He suggested a three to five-year ban as a buffer period.
The land-based gambling giant holding the Admiral brand (acquired by Tipico in 2025) also supports the transitional arrangement. Admiral CEO Monika Racek's logic carries a clear tone of vested interests: "Licensed operators have been demonstrating responsible behavior for years. Legislators should not treat these operators the same as others." In plain terms, those who are already seated at the table do not want their chairs moved.
OWVG slams the table: The cooling-off period is a reform killer
The position of the Austrian Gambling and Betting Association is starkly different. Chairman Simon Priglinger-Simader labeled the cooling-off period clause as a "reform killer." His reasoning is quite clear: "The federal government wants to pull players into a regulated market, strengthen player protection, and stabilize tax revenue. The cooling-off period does the exact opposite: tax-paying operators are driven out, the black market steps in, existing tax revenues collapse, and the incremental revenue already budgeted turns into nothing."
Public affairs consultant Felix Geyer also made a realistic judgment: The cooling-off period mainly targets operators with EU licenses currently active in Austria, while the real black market will not even apply for a license. "The black market doesn't care," he said, "they won't even submit an application." The implication is that the clause punishes not the most dangerous enemies, but those in the middle ground who are most likely to cooperate. Readers of the PASA official website may have noticed that player compensation lawyers have also expressed concerns: The cooling-off period may hinder operators from settling court-awarded compensations to players. The leaked draft in May already listed "repayment of all past player claims and unpaid taxes" as a prerequisite for market entry—this clause alone is tough enough, adding a cooling-off period, the window for gray operators to comply may be too narrow to pass through.
€2 limit and 12 licenses: The tug-of-war in the details continues
Besides the cooling-off period, several key parameters are being fiercely debated at the negotiation table. The most intense is the single bet limit—the Social Democratic Party insists on cutting the current limit from €10 to €2, and the maximum prize per game will be compressed accordingly. Geyer's assessment is quite pessimistic: "Virtually everyone—including land-based operators, monopolists, and OWVG—agrees that cutting from €10 to €2 is likely to destroy the entire regulated online gambling industry." He added that there was initially a preliminary consensus on this issue, but the Social Democratic Party, citing player protection, refuses to back down.
The number of land-based casino licenses is also pending: The initial draft stated "up to 12", possibly issued in a package of licenses, but the People's Party and NEOS are reportedly inclined to increase the number. The lottery license fee is also being pushed to the negotiation table—the lottery will maintain its monopoly status in the next round of bidding, and bidders are likely to pay a license fee of **€20 million, while NEOS has directly called for a doubled price: €40 million**.
Despite the ongoing differences, the timeline is rapidly narrowing. The government plans to finalize the draft before the last plenary session before the summer recess of the parliament in July, complete the three-month EU notification process during the summer, and officially take effect in the fall. This will leave a window for launching the bidding process before the current 15-year single license expires at the end of 2027. Austria is one of the last gambling monopolies in Europe, and this negotiation is not just about "whether to open up" but also about "after opening up, who gets to sit at the table, how many chairs are placed, and among those lining up at the door, who is qualified to step in first."
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry 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
