Austria’s Finance Ministry said it sent the proposed gambling law to the European Commission, starting a three-month standstill period. The Commission and other member states can assess the bill during that period, and Austria cannot adopt it definitively until the period ends.
Operators must wait for the review period to end before Austria can definitively adopt the proposed licensing reforms.
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Gambling Commission Enforcement Director John Pierce said the regulator will publish a sector risk assessment on money laundering and terrorist financing in July. Speaking at a conference on 10 June, he said compliance had improved but cited continuing gaps in operators’ controls, staff training and checks.
Finland has notified the European Commission of a draft rule on the technical format for transmitting gambling account transaction data under its Gambling Act. The proposed requirements would define which transactions licensees report, their structure and content, and when they are generated; the standstill period ends on 3 February 2027. The rule is proposed to take effect on 1 July 2027.
Finland has submitted a draft regulation to the European Commission on the technical format for transmitting gambling account transaction data under the Finnish Gambling Act (10/2026). The standstill deadline is 3 February 2027. The proposed regulation would take effect on 1 July 2027.
Malta submitted a detailed opinion on Austria’s proposed online gambling law, delaying its approval process, according to the report. Austria must demonstrate the draft’s compliance with EU treaties by 7 December 2026; the proposal includes multiple concessions, website blocking and payment blocking against unlicensed operators.
Malta's government has decided to submit a detailed opinion on Austria's draft online gambling law, which slows the bill's approval process. Austria must now demonstrate by 7 December 2026 that the draft complies with EU treaties.
Malta’s detailed opinion has extended the European notification standstill for Austria’s online gambling reform to 7 December 2026, according to the European Commission’s TRIS entry. Austria cannot finally adopt the notified draft during the period, although parliamentary discussions may continue; the draft would replace the online casino monopoly with multiple concessions.
A detailed opinion from Malta has extended the European standstill period for Austria's planned online gambling reform until 7 December 2026. The period previously ended on 5 November, according to the European Commission's TRIS entry. During the standstill, Austria may not finally adopt the notified draft. Parliamentary deliberations can continue in the meantime. The extension moves back the earliest possible adoption date but does not necessarily alter the whole parliamentary timetable.
Austria submitted a draft law on online gambling and telecommunications to the European Commission under notification 2026/0415/AT. Malta issued a detailed opinion, extending the standstill period to 7 December 2026; Austria cannot finally adopt the affected provisions during that period.
The ordinary standstill period for Austria's notification 2026/0415/AT to the European Commission ends on 5 November 2026. The notification carries a draft federal law amending Austria's gambling legislation and the Telecommunications Act 2021.