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Austria Gambling Sites and Law

Gambling in Austria is incredibly popular. It got so popular a few years ago that the government and Austrian regulatory authorities tightened regulations in an attempt to return to the levels that were present in the early 2000s. In other words, the status of Austria gambling sites and law is changed.

They have scaled back casino operations and put a lot of rules in place that make it nearly impossible for foreign operators to open Austria betting sites and service Austrian residents. Poker is one of the most popular forms of gambling here and it is offered at land-based casinos as well as through online operators. Austrian lotto betting is also quite common.

Austrian online poker players can play at sites such as Betsson, BetSafe, and Stake Sports. Casino games are also popular both online and at brick-and-mortar sites, as are sports betting and horse racing. While there are some pretty strict regulations that make it difficult for foreign operators to saturate the market, there are plenty of very reputable gambling sites for Austrians to choose from and some of them accept crypto betting also. In this article about law and gambling sites in Austria, we will explain everything you need to know about these topics.

Top 10 Gambling Sites for Austria in 05 November 2024 – Updated List

Rank
Bookmaker
Bonus
Safe & Trusted
Rating
Get Started
1
100% up to 500 €/$/£
Yes
Rating 9.95 out of 10
2
Welcome package up to 1500 EUR + 150 FS
Yes
Rating 9.93 out of 10
3
Welcome package 100% up to €1500 + 150 FS
Yes
Rating 9.90 out of 10
4
100% bonus up to €300
Yes
Rating 9.80 out of 10
5
100% up to €100
Yes
Rating 9.52 out of 10
6
Welcome package up to 1500 EUR + 150 FS
Yes
Rating 9.43 out of 10
7
100% up to 1BTC
Yes
Rating 9.18 out of 10
8
Welcome Package Up to 1000 EUR + 100 FS
Yes
Rating 9.12 out of 10
9
Welcome Package 100% Up to 500 EUR + 200 FS
Yes
Rating 9.02 out of 10
10
100% Up to 5000 USDT/EUR
Yes
Rating 8.89 out of 10

What are the Best Austrian Gambling Sites and Bonuses?

One thing that punters should know is that no matter how tight the jurisdictional regulations are, the top guns in the online gambling industry will almost always find their way in. Online betting in Austria is no different. The top brands are found here and they offer the highest standards and the best bonuses to Austrian online players.

Ladbrokes offers a similar €500 bonus and Bwin and 22Bet are not far behind with their respective betting bonuses of €200 and €300. William Hill and Mozzart, who offer generous welcome bonuses, are among the nearly 200 Austrian online gambling sites. Other casinos offering bonuses for Austrian players include Casinia.

If you are in the market for an absolutely incredible casino bonus then Play Grand Casino is offering customers a chance to claim a €10,000 bonus. There is no shortage of great Austrian gambling websites that offer awesome bonuses. As an alternative, you can always opt for bookmakers by country, where you can place German bets or other foreign bet – no commission charged.

About Austria Gambling Sites and Law

The first historical records about gambling in Austria date back to the 17th century. We know that during this period, all social classes in the country showed great interest in ball and dice games. However, King Leopold I banned all gambling games in 1696 on the grounds that they were harmful. This situation continued until the beginning of the 20th century. Lottery became legal in 1913, and land-based casinos were legalized in the 1950s. 

For more information about the legal status and history of gambling in other European countries, you can check our other guides such as Slovenia gambling sites and laws, Switzerland gambling sites and law, Germany gambling sites and law. We have a long list of gambling sites by country and mobile betting sites, and it contains everything you need to know.

Austria Gambling Sites Law and Reglementations

The internet gambling industry in Austria is among the most tightly regulated in the world. Austrian internet gambling laws dictate that websites that are licensed and regulated there may only offer their services to residents. In response to increased gambling addiction and corruption, authorities made some amendments to the Gambling Act in 2014 aiming to curb these issues.

Despite the intense regulatory approach, internet and land-based betting establishments continue to thrive and are forecasted to continue to prosper. Austrian online gamblers are confident that this environment assures a safe and fair wagering experience.

Placing bets on sports, including e-sports betting is 100% legal here and it is a fast-growing industry that contributes greatly to the economy. Along with the brick-and-mortar establishments, there are a growing number of legal online options. Of course, this has caused some negative side-effects such as a high rate of gambling addiction and underage betting, but the government has taken steps to deal with these issues through recent amendments to Austrian gambling legislation.

The legal gambling age in Austria is 18 with the exception of lottery tickets, just as it is in Hungary. Live betting sites need to take strict measures to verify both the age and identity of those who want to place bets.

Austria consists of 9 federal states and gambling is subject to both national and federal regulation. The 1989 gambling law “Glücksspielgesetz” (GSpG) imposes some restrictions at the federal level, but each state is free to make its own laws. In this regard, five states (Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Carinthia, Styria, and Burgenland) allow slot machines outside of the casino (for example, in pubs). Other states limit gambling to casinos only.

In terms of Austria gambling sites and law, the situation is a bit more complicated. Online gambling in Austria is legal but only land-based casino operators can offer it. The license obtained by these operators for their brick-and-mortar casinos also gives them the right to open an online site. However, a stand-alone online casino license is not granted. For example, if international gambling companies want to open a site in Austria, they must first open a land-based casino. The problem is the number of land-based casinos is limited and new licenses are no longer issued. In short, law and gambling sites in Austria are a bit of an oddity. Yes, online gambling is legal, but it is considered part of land-based gambling and no independent license is granted. 

Picking the Top Austria Gambling Sites

Whether you play in high roller casinos or low deposit casinos, we recommend that you pay attention to the following points when choosing a gambling site:

  • The license is the most important thing. Make sure the site has a license and verify that license.
  • Variety of games and bets. Ideally, you should be able to access both sports betting with the best sports to bet on and online casino services from a single address.
  • Bonuses. Make sure you can take advantage of the bonuses both when you sign up and after signing up.
  • Compatibility. Visit the site with different devices (desktop/mobile) and see if it works fine on all of them. Regardless of the device, you should be able to access the same features and performance.
  • Payment methods. As we will point out below, some payment methods are more practical for Austrian players. Make sure these methods are supported.

Now that you know about sites and gambling law in Austria, what are your options? Which gambling types are most preferred in Austria? Although this is a personal choice, we can say that the most common types of gambling in the country are:

  • Lottery: Lotto “6 AUS 45“ is the most popular game in Austria since 1986. You choose 6 out of 45 numbers and if you are lucky enough, you win the grand prize. The largest lotto payout to date is 14,926,157.30 Euros.
  • Poker: Poker is the most popular game in both land-based and online casinos. Austrians have been playing this game for a very long time and now it has almost become a traditional pastime. There is no Austria poker tax that affects players, but operators must pay taxes on their net profits.
  • Slot Machines: Slot machines are also very common in Austria, and as we mentioned above, in some states they can even be played outside of the casinos.

You can check out our bookmakers by country list and sports betting exchanges to learn about popular options in other European countries.

Payment Methods You Can Use at Online Gambling Sites in Austria

Let’s start with sports betting Austria and Austrian casino site taxation: Gamblers are not required to pay taxes on their winnings and they aren’t allowed to write off their losses either. In other words, Austria gambling tax is quite liberal. It is the casinos and online gambling operators who must shoulder the tax burden.  The tax man takes a percentage of the gambling company’s earnings and they also collect revenue through licensing fees.

The official currency of Austria is the Euro and that is one of the commonly accepted currencies to bet with among Austrian operators. Debit and major credit cards are the most popular methods that Austrians use to perform financial transactions with online wagering sites.

Bank wire transfers are also frequently used (check our list of Trustly betting sites for more info). Prepaid credit cards and online services such as Entropay, Neteller, Skrill, Paysafe, and Ukash are also a fast and easy way to perform both deposits and withdrawals from Austrian internet gambling sites.

Make sure to check which payment methods are accepted at any bookmakers by payment methods before you join, including Austria betting sites and bookmakers. Different methods often have different limits and varying fees. More importantly, they have different gambling bonuses. For example, there may be a specific promotion for e-wallets, and you can get your first deposit matched with this casino bonus.

Austria betting sites & casinos on mobile

You can visit all Austria gambling sites with the browsers of your mobile devices and benefit from the services offered (for example, you can play games and bet). Local operators generally do not have mobile applications, and operators with such an application offer very limited features. If you want to use an application and get an ideal experience, we recommend you choose our recommended Austria gambling sites.

Safety & Security of Betting in Austria

Security is at least as important as Austria gambling sites and law. Be sure to play only on safe and reliable sites. All the casinos and online betting sites we recommend have this feature. You can tell if a site is trustworthy by paying attention to two things:

  • Check license. Trusted sites are licensed by reputable agencies such as The United Kingdom Gambling Commission.
  • SSL encryption. You should see a lock image in the left corner of your browser’s address bar: This means the connection is encrypted and protected with SSL.

Pros and Cons of Sites and Gambling Law in Austria

PROS

  • Land-based gambling is legal
  • Online gambling is legal
  • No restrictions on offshore operators

CONS

  • The number of local operators is very low
  • Services offered by local operators are limited

FAQ About Law and Gambling Sites Available in Austria

Yes, but only land-based casino operators (and the government itself) are allowed to offer them. There is no separate license for online gambling.

Yes, but the options you can find at local operators will be quite limited. We recommend picking one of our recommended Austria gambling sites for live betting.

The official currency of Austria is Euro, and this is the currency available at Austria gambling sites.

As far as we know, there are no local operators offering esports betting services. You should play at international gambling sites to bet on esports.

Austria gambling sites use decimal odds the most, i.e., 4.00, 3.20, 1.70, etc. However, you can still switch to a different format.

German is the dominant language spoken in Austria, so it is the primary language option in Austria gambling sites too.

Check Our List of Austria Gambling Sites and Law

This is all you need to know about Austria gambling sites and law: Now, you can start practicing. Check our list of sites and gambling law in Austria again, pick a website, and register today. We are sure that you will start winning in no time. As always, we wish you good luck out there!

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