Malta's opinion extends the waiting period for Austria's gambling reform

Austria's planned gambling reform will face a longer wait in the European Union review after Malta submitted a detailed opinion on the draft law. According to the European Commission's notification register, the waiting period has been extended to 7 December 2026. It previously appeared as 5 November. Austria notified the draft amendment on 4 August.

The Austrian Finance Ministry said that parliamentary work may continue while the waiting period is running, but the law can only be adopted once that period ends. The extension leaves less time before the opening of the online market planned for October 2027.

Under the draft, an open licensing system will replace the current monopoly. According to the ministry, providers operating illegally must stop serving the Austrian market from 1 January 2027 in order to comply with the proposed rules. For those who do not, an 18-month waiting period will run before a licence is issued. From 2030, this period will rise to 24 months.

The bill includes an exclusion register covering casinos, gaming machines and online games. Deposit limits will apply across all operators, with lower limits for players aged 18 to 26. Payment blocking and network blocking are also among the proposed sanctions. The ministry also plans to limit licences for land-based casinos to 13 and to issue them in packages.