Bad Ischl business group proposes city for Austria’s planned 13th casino

The Bad Ischl business association has proposed the Upper Austrian town as a location for Austria's planned 13th casino, its chairman Edwin Gruber said, according to a media report on 28 October 2026. The finance ministry plans to award the additional licence, with Vienna and Burgenland viewed as the leading candidates, the report said.

The ministry is planning the award alongside the concessions for the twelve existing casino sites, which expire in 2027 and 2030, according to the report. Gruber said Bad Ischl should enter the competition.

Gruber said the town's selection as a European capital of culture in 2024 showed that expectations could be confounded. "Warum nicht? Es hat auch keiner damit gerechnet, dass wir Kulturhauptstadt werden. Wenn wir uns nicht rechtzeitig ins Spiel bringen, werden wir es nie erfahren," he said, according to the report.