The official name of this country is the Republic of Austria and it has a long and rich history. These days, Austria is one of the most developed countries in Europe. Its economy is booming and pretty much every sector is profitable, which is why the people living here are very stable when it comes to the financial state.
There are many things and activities that Austrians are fond of, but the one that is going to be covered is gambling. Austria is a true example of over-complicating laws and regulations when it comes to gambling regulation. The reason for that is because the law in Austria categorizes casinos and small gambling, which makes it hard for many people to understand how this activity is regulated here.
The gambling laws in this country are both provincial and national. Not only that, but the state holds a monopoly over the market, which is why it was heavily criticized by the European Court of Justice. That is also the reason why the public interest here has been focused on changing these regulations for quite some time.
Yes, gambling-related activities are legal in Austria, but they are subject to numerous restrictions. These activities are strictly regulated by the government. Proper gambling is allowed only in casinos, while small gambling is pretty much allowed everywhere.
Both land-based and online casinos are legal to operate in Austria, but they do face some restrictions when it comes to their work. The federal law that regulates these facilities is known as Glücksspielgesetz, or the Law on Games of Chance. In 2017, an addition to the law was proposed – this new addition would be able to block IP addresses to non-licensed casinos. Additionally, there are a total of 15 casino licenses and 12 of them are given to Casinos Austria.
That is the reason why the Austrian gambling market is actually a big monopoly – one company controls numerous casino games and has a total monopoly over the lottery.