Malta has filed a detailed opinion on the Austrian bill, and the review deadline under the TRIS procedure automatically moved from 5 November to 7 December. Austria cannot adopt amendments to the gambling law before then.
Austria's Ministry of Finance sent the draft to the European Commission on 4 August 2026. The notification triggered an initial standstill period of three months. While it runs, parliamentary proceedings can continue, but legislation cannot be adopted until the period ends.
The amendments would end the online monopoly. At present, online casinos and lotteries in Austria are served by a single licence held by the operator win2day, valid until 30 September 2027. Under the draft, new concessions could be issued from 1 January 2027. Operators could receive authorisation to start operations from 1 October 2027.
The most affected are operators that serve Austrian players under foreign licences, including Maltese ones. To qualify for an Austrian licence, they must stop online casino offerings to Austrian players by 31 December 2026, or face an 18-month block. Before applying, they will also need to settle payouts to players and taxes for past periods.
The 31 December shutdown deadline stays the same, while the window between ratification and the law taking effect on 1 January 2027 is now less than a month.
The next step is the end of the standstill on 7 December. After that, parliament can adopt the law.
