The Austria Press Agency (APA) has reported that the ÖVP–SPÖ–NEOS coalition government is working on presenting a draft bill in the field of gambling by the end of this year. The bill is expected to address the expiration of several state-issued licences over the coming years.
At present, the Austrian gambling market is a monopoly divided among several state concessions: Casino Austria AG (CASAG) operates the 12 land-based casinos, Österreichische Lotterien (OL) is responsible for lotteries, and Win2Day (owned by OL) is the sole licensed online gambling operator.
The lottery concession, as well as the Win2Day licence, expires in the fall of 2027, while CASAG will relinquish its licence sometime between 2027 and 2030.
International operators are showing significant interest in entering the market – although many already operate in Austria either in the “grey” zone using EU licences or as outright black-market companies.
CASAG, the land-based casino operator, is 33% owned by the state holding company ÖBAG Holdings. The majority shareholder, with 59%, is the Czech lottery conglomerate Allwyn. Naturally, the lottery company – which also operates the UK National Lottery – is closely monitoring developments in the market.
Austrian Lotteries (OL), including its subsidiary Win2Day – both of which control lotteries and online gambling in Austria – are majority owned by another state holding firm, ÖLG Holding GmbH (74%). However, ÖLG Holding is fully owned by CASAG, which means that Allwyn has indirect exposure to OL’s assets and lottery market share.
In addition to Allwyn, another global gambling giant is preparing to enter the Austrian market if the government decides to dismantle the monopoly.
Marco Tasso, Board Member of US-based Brightstar (formerly IGT), recently spoke to the Kurier and said: “Brightstar is considering participating in the upcoming tender for the Austrian lottery concession… We are delighted… and see great potential in Austria.”
Der Standard added that Brightstar is already in talks with Austria’s national postal service, Österreichische Post AG, to form a potential consortium to enter the lottery market.
However, the situation is intriguing. 53% of Austrian Post is owned by ÖBAG Holdings. This means that if Brightstar partners with the postal service, two state-owned companies would become competitors in the lottery concession tender — with Allwyn caught in the middle.
It remains to be seen what exactly the coalition’s draft bill will propose in the coming weeks. APA also reports that the new legislation regulating the current state of the Austrian gambling market is expected to come into force in the first half of 2026.
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