Austria has moved a step closer towards opening its gambling market with sending the draft gambling law to the European Commission for evaluation.
The draft bill, issued by the Ministry of Finance, starts a legally mandated period of three months in which the Commission reviews the legislative initiative for compliance with the EU legislation, including assistance to the states and regulations regarding the single market.
According to the draft bill, the country will create a national self-exclusion system that will work for online gambling, casinos, and game machines and will prohibit banned players from receiving gambling services from licensed providers.
It also introduces obligatory deposit limits for online gambling and gaming machines, with limits being lower for players aged 18 to 26. Among other responsible gaming measures are decreasing gaming machine stakes, slowing down games, and mandatory breaks after 90 minutes of gambling. Operators will have to analyze their games and provide information for gambling studies.
Austria plans to change its current monopoly in the online gambling market into an open-license one. Those who serve Austrian customers illegally now will have to stop operating by January 1, 2027, in order to get licensed and those who keep operating illegally will face a delay of an 18-month waiting period before becoming eligible, increasing to 24 months from 2030.
The applicants must first satisfy their tax obligations and satisfy player claims before their license application can be approved. The drafted bill would allow for the issuance of up to 13 licenses for casinos, with the license awarding possible to happen in bundles.
The proposal has met with criticism from various members of the industry. Experts have also suggested that it may not be possible for Austria to finish the licensing process in time because the country plans for the new regulated gambling market to be made operational by 2027.
