Austria’s proposed online gambling reform remains blocked from adoption after Malta submitted a detailed opinion under the European Union’s notification procedure. The European Commission’s updated record extends the standstill to December 7, replacing the November 5 deadline previously associated with the legislation. The extension was reported on November 4.
The proposal would replace the existing online gambling monopoly with a system allowing multiple concession holders. Austria notified the draft through the EU’s Technical Regulation Information System on August 4. The procedure gives the Commission and member states an opportunity to examine potential barriers to the internal market before national technical regulations are adopted.
The Austrian Finance Ministry has said parliamentary work can continue during the standstill, although adoption must wait until it ends. The extension therefore changes the earliest permissible adoption date; it does not establish that the reform has been rejected or that its proposed licensing framework has taken effect.
Licensing conditions remain central to the proposal
“In principle, the timeline remains the same: the passage of the amendments is still expected before Christmas 2026,” Arthur Stadler, a Vienna-based gaming lawyer at Stadler Partner, told iGaming Business. His assessment concerns the anticipated parliamentary schedule rather than a confirmed government adoption date.
The ministry’s published proposal would require operators previously serving Austrian customers without national authorization to stop that offering from January 1, 2027, to qualify for the new concession process. Outstanding tax liabilities and unpaid player-protection claims would also need to be settled. Continuing unauthorized operations would trigger exclusion provisions.
Consumer-protection measures include a central register covering self-exclusions and operator-imposed exclusions across casinos, gaming machines, and online gambling. The package also proposes deposit controls, with lower limits for young adults, alongside website blocking, payment blocking, and a blacklist targeting unauthorized providers. These remain elements of the proposed framework.
The delay follows concerns about implementation of Austria’s planned market opening. The current EU notification identifies Malta as the member state issuing the detailed opinion. Completion of that review remains separate from parliamentary approval and the subsequent concession process.
