Austria’s proposed gambling reforms, which would end the country’s online gambling monopoly, face a tighter legislative timetable after Malta’s intervention extended the European Union’s notification period until December 7.
The delay prevents the Austrian government from ratifying the amendments before the second week of December, leaving less time for operators to prepare for the planned introduction of the new licensing framework on January 1, 2027.
Under the proposed legislation, operators currently serving Austrian customers under licenses issued elsewhere in the European Union will be required to observe a nine-month cooling-off period before becoming eligible for an Austrian iGaming license.
Operators must discontinue online casino services for Austrian customers by December 31, 2026, or face an extended 18-month exclusion period. They will also be required to settle outstanding player claims and backdated taxes.
Austria’s online casino and lotteries market is currently served under a sole license held by Win2Day, a subsidiary of Austrian Lotteries. However, several other gambling brands operate in the country under licenses issued by other EU jurisdictions, including Malta.
The latest regulatory delay follows a detailed opinion submitted by the Maltese government on Wednesday, November 4, a day before Austria’s amendments were scheduled to complete the EU notification process. The submission automatically extended the notification deadline from November 5 to December 7.
Despite the extension, the amendments could still receive parliamentary approval before the end of the year. However, the time gap between the amendments’ ratification and entry into force will be much tighter for operators.