Austria’s plan to end its online gambling monopoly faces a European deadline on November 5, 2026. The standstill period under the European Union’s Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS) procedure expires on that date, and lawmakers cannot adopt the legislation before then.
The Finance Ministry has stated that parliamentary proceedings may continue during the standstill period. However, the legislation itself cannot be adopted until the period ends, and the European Commission’s (EC) notification record currently lists November 5 as the end date.
Member states and the EC weigh in through TRIS
TRIS gives EU member states and the EC the opportunity to submit comments or detailed opinions on draft technical regulations, product standards and information services. The EC views the system as a vital measure to maintain the EU’s binding commitment to protect the single market from competitive barriers and to uphold the free movement of goods and services.
The upcoming deadline is the next step in the process for Austria’s reform package. The proposal would replace the country’s online gambling monopoly with an open licensing system, and it would add tougher player protection measures and enforcement powers.
Concessions on a 2027 schedule
Under the proposal, new online gambling concessions could be awarded from January 1, 2027. Operations under those concessions would be authorized from October 1, 2027.
The current market structure gives Österreichische Lotterien the online gambling concession through its win2day brand. Its authorization runs until September 30, 2027, which is before the proposed start of the new operating framework.
Applicants for the new concessions would need to settle outstanding tax liabilities and comply with final judgments related to player protection claims.
Operators that previously offered services to Austrian consumers without national authorization would also be eligible, provided they withdraw their unauthorized offering by the end of December 2026.
Failure to comply with these rules would result in an 18-month exclusion from a concession, or 24 months if the withdrawal takes place after 2029.
Enforcement tools arrive first
Parliamentary documents show that the exclusion register and blocking instruments will come into force from January 2027, before the October settlement. Under this sequence, new applicants would have an enforcement transition before they can start new operations.
The central register would cover self-exclusions and operator-imposed exclusions for casinos, gaming machines and online gambling. In addition, payment blocking, website blocking and blacklisting would increase the power to act against illegal suppliers.
The reforms also include a digital supervisory system to support cross-operator deposit limits, with lower thresholds for young adults. Players would set personal time and spending limits, and increases to self-selected limits would be subject to a 72-hour waiting period before implementation.
If the reform continues on its course, Austria would become another gambling monopoly to fall, after similar moves in recent years in countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland.
Operators also continue to monitor developments in markets like Norway and Poland, where there have been some indications of a shift toward a multi-license market.