Austria faces TRIS deadline for EU approval of new gaming orders

Austria’s plan to overhaul its gambling laws is nearing a key European deadline as the standstill period under the European Commission’s Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS) expires on 5 November 2026. As SBC News reported in August, Austria’s Ministry of Finance put the bill before Europe for review proposing to replace the country’s online gambling monopoly with an open licensing system underpinned by tougher player protection and enforcement powers. The coming deadline is the next step in the process for the existing reform package. The TRIS framework allows EU member states and the European Commission to submit comments or detailed opinions on draft technical regulations, product standards and information services. TRIS is viewed as a vital measure by the EC to maintain the binding agreement of the EU to protect the single market from competitive barriers and uphold the free movement of goods and services. The Finance Ministry has said that parliamentary proceedings can continue during the standstill period, but that legislation cannot be adopted until that period ends. The Commission’s notification record currently shows 5 November as the end date. Austria on the clock The proposed changes would change a market in which Österreichische Lotterien has the online gambling concession via the win2day brand. Its current authorisation runs until 30 September 2027, i.e. before the new operating framework is proposed to start. New online gambling concessions could be awarded from 1 January 2027 and operations authorised from 1 October 2027. Applicants would need to settle outstanding tax liabilities and comply with final judgments relating to player protection claims. Operators who had previously offered Austrian consumers without national authorisation would also be eligible if they withdrew their unauthorised offering by the end of December 2026. Failure to comply with the rules would mean an 18 month exclusion from a concession (24 months if withdrawal is after 2029). SBC News reported last week that Finance Ministry officials said these requirements are linked to restitution of €20,000 for Austrian players. The market was a key topic of discussion in Entain’s investor call following its Q3 results. Entain leadership expect the company to be a major player in a multi-licence iGaming system in Austria as it already has a presence there through its bwin brand. Entain, however, like many other operators, is not thrilled by the prospect of the cooling off period proposed. As well as market opening, the reforms include a central register covering self-exclusion and operator imposed exclusions for casinos, gaming machines and online gambling; digital supervisory system to support cross operator deposit limits (lower thresholds for young adults). Players would also set personal time and spending limits; increases to self-selected limits would have a 72-hour waiting period before they were implemented. Payment blocking, website blocking and blacklisting would increase the power to act against illegal suppliers. Parliamentary documents show that the exclusion register and blocking instruments will come into force from January 2027 before an October settlement, so new applicants have an enforcement transition before they can start new operations. Should the revamp continue on its course, it would make Austria another gambling monopoly to fall following recent moves in years gone by in countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland. Operators are still keeping an eye on developments in markets like Norway and Poland, where there have been some rumblings of a shift towards a multi-licence market.