Best 68 Online Casino​s in Austria

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.

The history of gambling in Austria takes us back all the way to 1751. This year marks the first lottery in the country – the Genova Lottery. An interesting fact about it is that this lottery is being held to this day.

As time passed by, numerous new lotteries were introduced in the country. Class lottery was added in 1912, in 1986, Austrian Lotteries introduced the 6 of 45 drawings. This format is currently the most popular form of lottery in the country.

Online gambling in Austria became very popular during the 2010s. This is around the same time when online casinos started gaining global recognition and were accessed by many people from all around the world. The laws on online gambling were the same as the ones for land-based operators. A valid license must be possessed if the online casino wants to offer its services to the residents of Austria.

But, the problem with both land-based and online gambling is that it is under a monopoly by the government. That is the reason why the regulation of these activities caught the public eye and they started asking for a change.

These days, gambling is a fairly popular activity in Austria, but due to the fact that it has many restrictions, the residents in the country are asking for a change. The monopoly on the market has become intolerable. When it comes to land-based gambling, there are a total of 12 casinos where players can enjoy casino games:

• Lower Austria – Casino, Salons, Poker
• Upper Austria – Casino, Salons, Poker
• Salzburg – Casino, Poker
• Vienna – Casino, Poker
• Styria – Casino, Salons, Poker
• Carinthia – Casino, Salons, Poker
• Vorarlberg – Casino, Poker
• Tyrol – Casino, Poker
• Burgenland – Salons

As for online gambling, Austrians are able to access online slots that are licensed by Austrian operators – Casinos Austria and Austrian lotteries. But, they are also free to access off-shore online casinos. Sports betting is still not regulated that well, so Austrians are more than happy to place bets on sports every once in a while.

The future of online casinos in Austria is really hard to see. The current problem is that the government is regulating this market too strictly and it makes it difficult for private companies to open up and offer their services to the Austrian players.

The good thing about this situation is that the regulations have been criticized by the public recently, and from what it seems, that pressure is only growing. Not only that, but the regulations have also been criticized by the European Court of Justice. All in all, there is a ton of pressure on the government to change these regulations, which is why it is possible that a new Gambling Act may be presented in the future and ease the regulations of this industry.

The new law will eventually make it easier for privately-owned companies to gain licenses and offer their services to the Austrian players. The higher level of competition will lead to better regulation, better games, and overall more benefits for both the government and Austrian players.

However, all of this is a big if, since it all depends on whether the government will combat the pressure or allow a change in the regulations. The next 2-3 years will be crucial and will determine the course of this industry.

Both online and land-based casinos are legal in Austria. However, there are heavy restrictions to this industry as the government is keen on maintaining a monopoly on the market. Lotteries are going to be covered first. This game is legal in Austria, however, the law states that only one license can be issued and that license is given to Austrian Lotteries.

As for casino licenses for land-based casinos, there are a total of 15 licenses and 12 of them belong to Casinos Austria. The other three were given to private casinos but revoked as they were not in compliance with the law. In doing so, Casinos Austria was able to maintain a monopoly on the market of land-based casinos. Not only that, but it is also worth mentioning that Casinos Austria is a major shareholder of Austrian Lotteries.

This is the type of monopoly that was mentioned earlier and this is the reason why the public is demanding a change of regulation for the gambling industry.

As for the slot laws, this is where the law gets kind of tricky. Even though Casinos Austria controls all casinos, a small loophole allows smaller companies to still operate. With a regulation called ‘small gambling’, each province can operate small slot facilities, but with extremely limited conditions. People can only wager small amounts of money on the games and the maximum number of slots that a facility can have is 50.

As for sports betting, the regulations vary from one province to another. Lower Austria and Burgenland have no restrictions. Vienna, Tyrol and Vorarlberg only allow sports betting from 6 am to midnight. Styria and Carinthia limited the number of betting options available, and Salzburg allowed a max bet of €500.

Online casinos are legal to operate in Austria and this industry is not as strictly regulated as the land-based industry. That is why Austrians can access off-shore sites whenever they want.

As for the law that regulates all of these activities, it is the Austrian Gaming Act, or also known as Glücksspielgesetz.

Austrian players have numerous games that they consider as favourites. Off the top, the lottery remains a popular game as it is the first legalized gambling game in the country. Next up, sports betting is also one of the most popular activities because this type is not as strictly regulated like the other ones.

Not only that, but Austrians are huge sports fans, especially football and basketball, and when their love is combined with the fact that sports betting is not that regulated, it is easy to conclude why this game is so popular.

At number 3, we have slot games. The reason why these games are so popular is that they are allowed in pretty much every corner of the country as they are labelled as small gambling games. There are several slot salons in Austria that contain up to 50 slots and the residents are more than happy to go there to play them. Not only that but when it comes to online casinos, each site has hundreds of these games and they come in various themes.

In the recent period, even Bitcoin games started to rise in popularity in Austria. The reason for that is because these games have unique gameplay and come in HD graphics. Not only that but as the name of this category suggests, they can only be played by making Bitcoin deposits. Considering the fact that Bitcoin has been sky-rocketing in value and provides tons of advantages for the users, it is easy to conclude why Austrians are so fond of this currency and the games that are available with it.

Poker is the last entry on the list. This game has had quite an interesting history with the regulations in Austria. The French Ministry of Finance declared poker as a game of chance in 2013 and was able to take control of many poker clubs. But, when it comes to online poker, there are no regulations, so players can access them whenever they want.

When Austrian players search for online casino games, they often check who is the game provider of the chosen site. They always look for reputable providers such as Playson, NetEnt, Quickspin, Evolution, Big Time Gaming, Red Tiger, and Yggdrasil. All of these game providers are known for supplying online casinos with HD games which lead to a fun, exciting, and unique gaming experience.

Since sports betting and slots are the two most popular games aside from lotteries, the most preferred casino bonuses relate to those types of games. When it comes to sports betting, Austrians are extremely fond of Free Bets as a bonus. With Free Bets, they can wager on the games without having to deposit any money and win real money rewards.

The second most preferred bonus is cashback. Cashbacks are commonly featured in online sports betting and since Austrian players love that category, they are extremely fond of it. Not only that, but many online casinos offer cashback percentages to the players for various casino games, including poker (which also happens to be among the favourites).

Cashback percentages vary from one online casino to another, but in most cases, the way to get higher cashbacks is through loyalty programs. These programs are available for players that have shown continued support of a certain online casino. The higher they move up the scale, the bigger the cashback percentage will be. Additionally, loyalty programs provide players with exclusive gifts, unique bonuses, birthday gifts, higher withdrawal limits, personal account managers, and more.

The last most preferred bonus is Free Spins, which is only available to slot games. Free Spins work similarly to Free Bets. But, in this case, instead of wagering for free, players can spin the wheel on slot games without depositing any money. They are still eligible to win awards after they meet the requirements. The best part about Free Spins and slots is that some slots feature progressive jackpots and there is a chance that players hit the progressive jackpot with a Free Spin. Just a reminder, this type of jackpot can be up to several million dollars.

Austria's most preferred payment method today is credit/debit cards. They provide players with safe and fast transactions when compared to other payment methods. Deposits with credit and debit cards are instant, while withdrawals have a processing time of a few business days.

E-wallets are also used commonly. They provide players with instant deposits and withdrawals, but the problem with them is that they may charge fees for withdrawing money. Not only that but when players make deposits with e-wallets such as Skrill and Neteller, they may not be eligible to claim the casino bonuses.

The last most popular payment method is Bitcoin. This cryptocurrency’s popularity has spiked recently as it features all of the biggest benefits from both cards and e-wallets. By using Bitcoin, users can deposit and withdraw money to their account instantly. Fees are not charged for the transactions, and since Bitcoin uses cryptology to provide players with a certain level of anonymity, their security is at a very high level.

Bitcoin is also the key to many Bitcoin games at some online casinos, which Austrians are very fond of.

Other popular payment methods for Austrian players are bank transfers, prepaid cards, and mobile pay. But, since the processing time and the min/max limits for deposits and withdrawals are a bit different when using these methods, they are not as popular as the once mentioned above.