The Austrian Lottery and Betting Association (OVWG) recently expressed optimism about the forthcoming regulatory reform in Austria and the opening of online casino competition. An interest group consisting of many mainstream lottery operators expects that the PPP, the SDP and the New Austria Party will reach agreement on a reform programme by the end of this year, ending Casinos Austria ‘ s monopoly on the Internet lottery.
The Association, which includes prominent operators such as Merkur, Bet365, Entain and LeoVegas, is actively promoting the legislative process. The Association noted that with Finland planning to introduce a business licence network lottery in 2027, Poland and Austria would be the last two major countries in Western Europe to maintain a monopoly business model. OVWG has long argued that the Austrian lottery monopoly lacks economic legitimacy. According to the latest report, tax revenues from licensed online markets will be “multiple” and are expected to reach Euro1.4 billion by 2031. At the same time, the Association claims that competitive markets will raise the level of player protection through technological innovation and international best practices and can effectively reduce the flow of players to the black market. The Association predicts that if the licensing system is opened, as many as 30 operators will be ready to enter the online Austrian lottery market immediately. The data show that there are currently 30 active operators each in Germany and Denmark, and Austria is expected to participate on an equal scale, subject to “reasonable licensing”.
At the same time, however, OVWG welcomed the progressive opening of markets with a limited number of licences. Operators such as Tipico and Bwin under the banner of Entain may have a pre-emptive advantage, as they have established a market presence in Austria through the sports lottery business. This week, at the conference of the German-speaking Lottery Regulators in Harleh, Austria sent representatives to participate in this important meeting hosted by the German Federal Lottery Supervisory Authority. Representatives of Switzerland and Liechtenstein also attended the meeting aimed at promoting professional cooperation among regulatory bodies in the German-speaking Community, focusing on the exchange of best practices programmes and assessing the development of lottery law. The core topics of the meeting included technical measures to combat illegal gambling (such as the IP embargo), and the commitment of regulators to strengthen international cooperation in this area.
