The Austrian government has submitted a draft of the new gambling law to parliament, preparing to replace the current online monopoly. The legislation outlines a multi-operator market structure scheduled to launch after Win2Day’s license expires on 1 October 2027.
The draft requires operators currently active in the grey market to cease services by January 2027. Failure to comply results in an 18-month market ban, increasing to two years for operators active until 2030. A nine-month hiatus on unlicensed operations will occur between January and October 2027. During this pause, licensees must resolve existing player claims and unpaid taxes.
The Austrian Betting and Gaming Association (OVWG) estimates these financial obligations amount to several million €.
Timeline and Regulatory Challenges
Political analyst Felix Geyer questions whether the government can meet the 2027 deadline. If parliament passes the law in July, a mandatory three-month EU notification period will delay enforcement until October. This timeline grants the Finance Ministry approximately one year to set up a new gambling authority and distribute licenses.
Geyer noted that political processes in Austria often cause delays, making the 12-month licensing window difficult to achieve. Potential EU challenges from Malta could further extend the notification phase. An earlier version of the draft included a firm October 2027 deadline for license issuance, but this specific date is absent from the current parliamentary submission.