Alex Smith
Sophia NovakivskaRegulator: BMFPlayers: legalState-monopoly concession until 30 Sep 2027; Glücksspielreformgesetz 2026 to open online licensing is in Parliament, with the EU standstill running to 5 Nov 2026.
Gambling in Austria is governed by the Glücksspielgesetz (GSpG, BGBl. 620/1989), which reserves gambling to the federal state and allows it only under concession. The Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) supervises the market, with the Finanzpolizei carrying out inspections. Online gambling is currently run by Österreichische Lotterien (win2day) under a concession ending 30 September 2027, and a 2026 reform bill would open online licensing to further operators.
At a glance
- Legal for players
- Players: legal Online play is legal only with the licensed monopoly holder (win2day); unlicensed foreign sites are prohibited, and the GSpG sets fines for participation in unlicensed electronic lotteries.
- Licence types
- Federal concessions (lotteries incl. online, casinos); provincial slot-machine licences
- Who is punished
- Operators and organisers; players for unlicensed electronic lotteries (§ 52 Abs 5, formally)
- Penalties
- Fines up to €60,000 (organisers), up to €7,500 (players), seizure, forfeiture, business closure; payment and network blocking planned in the reform
- Winnings tax
- No tax on players' winnings found in the GSpG; operators pay 17.5% on stakes or 45% on e-lottery gross revenue
Law-change timeline
- Glücksspielgesetz (GSpG) enters into force, reserving gambling to the Federal state
- BMF sends the draft new Glücksspielgesetz (Glücksspielreformgesetz 2026) to the European Commission, starting a three-month standstill period
- Upcoming Illegal online providers must stop offering games in Austria to be eligible for a licence (otherwise an 18-month bar)
- Upcoming Current Österreichische Lotterien concession, including online games, expires
- Upcoming First Casinos Austria concessions expire; the rest run to 31 Dec 2030
Enforcement (3)
| Date | Who | Penalty | Why | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed operators of a quail farm, Vienna 14th district | Five machines seized; fines up to €150,000 possible | Unlicensed gambling machines operating without a trade licence | notice | |
| Owner of a petrol station in Wels | Two machines seized; fines up to €20,000; trade licence under review | Two illegal gambling machines operated behind the station | notice | |
| Operators at 54 locations across Austria (Finanzpolizei and BKA) | 60 machines seized; 49 GSpG violations reported | Illegal gambling, with labour-law breaches found in the same checks | notice |
Regulator
Sources
- Bundesministerium für Finanzen — First Casinos Austria concessions expire; the rest run to 31 Dec 2030 · bmf.gv.at · checked
- Bundesministerium für Finanzen — Illegal online providers must stop offering games in Austria to be eligible for a licence (otherwise an 18-month bar) · bmf.gv.at · checked
- Bundesministerium für Finanzen — Glücksspielgesetz (GSpG) enters into force, reserving gambling to the Federal state · ris.bka.gv.at · checked
- Bundesministerium für Finanzen — Unnamed operators of a quail farm, Vienna 14th district · bmf.gv.at · checked
- Bundesministerium für Finanzen — Owner of a petrol station in Wels · bmf.gv.at · checked
- Bundesministerium für Finanzen — Operators at 54 locations across Austria (Finanzpolizei and BKA) · bmf.gv.at · checked