The Supervisory Board of Casinos Austria has appointed Andreas Birwirth as CEO of Casinos Austria AG and chairman of the management board of Österreichische Lotterien. He will take up the post on March 14, 2027, replacing Erwin van Lambaart, whose five-year contract is ending at that time.
Birwirth is no newcomer to the company. He joined the management board in 2025 and worked as director of transformation for about a year. After van Lambaart's departure, the board will consist of two people: Birwirth and Martin Schkopek. The candidate was sought through an international search with a recruitment agency. The search began after September 2025, when van Lambaart announced he would not extend his contract.
Shareholders commented on the appointment. Edith Hlavati of the board of state holding company ÖBAG, which holds a stake in Casinos Austria, said Birwirth is well acquainted with the group's challenges. Allwyn CEO Robert Chvatal, whose company is also a shareholder, said he looks forward to working with him. Supervisory Board Chairman Robert Zadrazil noted that van Lambaart had well prepared the company for future challenges.
The new executive's main task is tied to licenses. The lottery license and the country's only nationwide online concession held by Österreichische Lotterien expire on September 30, 2027. Concessions for six casinos, including those in Vienna, Graz and Salzburg, end on December 31, 2027. Birwirth will lead the company six months before the first of these deadlines.
What exactly will be put up for tender and when the process will start has not been stated in the appointment reports. Austria's Finance Ministry has not yet disclosed the parameters of the new procedure. Meanwhile, the government has been discussing amendments to the gambling law since November 2025, and they could change the conditions.
Two things are worth watching: documents on the reissuing of concessions and the outcome of work on the amendments. These will determine how many operators gain access to the Austrian market.
