Betting is a popular and completely legal pastime in Austria. Both in land-based casinos and bookmakers, and those offering their services online. However, the intricacies in the legality of gambling make things slightly more complicated on closer inspection. Firstly, as with many regulatory bodies, the laws are different depending on the type of activity, whether it be slot games or lotteries, for instance. Secondly, licenses are only granted to certain parties and under strict conditions, which we will explore more later.
As of 2022, the gambling licenses offered by Austria’s Ministry of Finance are few and far between. In fact, only 12 licenses are currently in existence, all awarded to the Casinos Austria group. Three more were given out a few years back, only to be revoked soon after following a failure to abide by the rules. Such stringent requirements make it difficult for national online casinos to obtain and retain the license, and impossible for those outside the country.