Austria to create new gambling authority as part of regulatory reform

Austrian Finance Minister Gernot Blumel has announced a wide-ranging overhaul of the country's gambling regulatory framework, which will result in stronger player protection measures, new transparency requirements and the formation of a new supervisory authority.

Austria's Treasury is currently responsible for licensing and enforcing gambling regulations, but these responsibilities will be taken over by the new body.

Blumel said the key focus of this new regulator would be player protection, which would require a number of new controls on legal and illegal gambling.

"Player protection is of particular importance because gambling, the whole list of which you will find at https://casino-utan-svensk-licens.info/, is a very sensitive area for players, their families and society, which also carries significant risks," he explained.

"Players often suffer from addiction and, as a result, face financial, psychological and existential problems."

As a result, the regulator will be tasked with creating a national self-exclusion system covering online and land-based gambling.

It is also expected to strengthen enforcement action against unlicensed operators and will have the power to order internet service providers to block access to these sites.

A blacklist of unlicensed domains will be created as part of this process.

New rules will also be developed for lootboxes, which Blumel said could have a particularly negative impact on young players and lead them to traditional forms of gambling.

The minister went on to say that Austria would seek to replicate Germany's regulatory model by introducing controls such as monthly deposit limits as well as betting and playing time limits for online slots. Exact limits will be worked out after consultation with gaming addiction specialists.

In addition, taxes on the industry should be increased so that operators can help prevent and treat gambling problems, and controls on advertising will be tightened. As a result, gambling marketing will be subject to controls similar to those applied to tobacco companies.

In addition to these measures aimed at protecting players, Blumel announced new anti-corruption measures following the political scandal involving Austrian gaming giant Novomatic, Casinos Austria and a number of high-profile politicians.

Parliament is debating a ban on donations, advertising and in-kind gifts to politicians or parties from gambling suppliers, arms manufacturers and the tobacco industry. The minister said this would ensure greater transparency.

It will also lead to the cancellation of the federal video lottery terminal (VLT) licence and providers will instead require licences from the states in which they operate. Three licences to build new casinos will also be revoked.

The necessary regulations to facilitate these changes are expected to be drafted by the end of April. They will then be submitted to parliament with a view to passing laws by autumn 2021.

Plans to overhaul Austria's legal and regulatory framework have long been discussed, with Blumel saying last March that he was aiming to "unravel" the many functions currently carried out at the Treasury.