Allwyn questions Austria’s October 2027 online gambling market launch target
Regulation2 min read
Allwyn has asked the European Commission to consider its concerns that Austria’s proposed online gambling market timetable leaves too little time to establish supervisory infrastructure. The draft law is provisionally scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2027, with new concessionaires potentially launching from 1 October; the Austrian Association for Betting and Gambling said it remained confident in the timetable.
The proposed market-opening schedule leaves too little time to build supervisory infrastructure, Allwyn has argued in a letter to the European Commission.
Allwyn holds stakes in Casinos Austria and Österreichische Lotterien, which hold the current monopoly. The operator said it supported the proposal's objectives, including player protection, tackling illegal gambling and directing demand to licensed, supervised operators.
Allwyn said the draft did not explain when or how the proposed supervisory authority would be established, what resources it would have or how responsibilities would transfer from Finanzamt Österreich. The planned authority would replace Finanzamt Österreich as online gambling regulator, but has yet to be established.
The Federal Act envisages registers for exclusions and deposit limits across operators, a safe server, blacklist and whitelist procedures, and mechanisms to block payments and internet service providers. It also provides for operational coordination among the new authority, the Anti-Fraud Office and the Telekom Control Commission. Allwyn questioned whether the infrastructure could be operating by the time new licence holders enter the market, saying the draft set neither a binding nor an approximate timetable for the milestones.
The planned market opening on 1 October 2027 is achievable and the schedule will hold, said Thomas Forstner, secretary general of the Austrian Association for Betting and Gambling. He said Austria could draw on existing European systems and that the tax office could handle supervision pending the establishment of the new independent authority. The association is participating in discussions about important details that remain unresolved.