Is online gambling legal in Austria?

Legal overview

Austria reserves gambling to the federal state under the Gambling Act (Glücksspielgesetz, GSpG). Under § 14 of the Act, the right to run lotteries, including electronic lotteries (§ 12a), is granted by a single concession for no more than 15 years. While that concession is in force, no second one may be granted. The holder, Österreichische Lotterien, runs win2day, which is currently the only domestic online gambling concession and the only legal online casino offer in Austria.

Many foreign operators still serve Austrian players without a licence. Courts have repeatedly sided with players in lawsuits against unlicensed operators, and the Ministry of Finance says about 20,000 players have unpaid claims. In June 2026 the government agreed on a new Gambling Act, and in August 2026 the Ministry sent the draft to the European Commission for notification, which triggers a three-month standstill. The draft creates a separate online category with no fixed number of concessions, initially granted for up to five years. It also provides for payment blocking, blacklisting and network blocks against illegal offers, a central exclusion register across casinos, slot machines and online gambling, and deposit limits that are lower for players under 26.

Unlicensed operators that want to apply must stop serving Austria from 1 January 2027 and settle outstanding taxes and player judgments. According to a law-firm analysis, the first online concessions under the new regime could be granted from 1 October 2027 at the earliest. As of October 2026 the reform had not been adopted by Parliament.