Robert Zadrazil was confirmed as the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Casinos Austria.
Zadrazil is best known for his career within the UniCredit Group, where he spent more than 24 years, including serving as CEO of UniCredit Bank Austria from March 2016 to April 2024.
He was nominated by the state holding company ÖBAG at the beginning of February as the successor to Wolfgang Hesoun.
ÖBAG manages the federal Government’s shareholdings in major companies.
Hesoun was appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board in December 2020 as part of a reorganisation.
He said that after careful consideration, he had decided not to stand for re-election to his positions on the supervisory boards of Casinos Austria.
In addition, lawyer Katja Tautscher has been appointed as a new member of the Supervisory Board.
At the end of 2027, six of Casino Austria’s land-based casino licences will expire, along with the lucrative National Lottery licence and the sole online gambling licence held by Casino Austria’s win2day.
Recently, the CEO of Casinos Austria, Erwin van Lambaart, has spoken out against liberalising the Austrian online gambling monopoly.
Casinos Austria, in part, operates Win2Day, the sole Austrian online gambling platform.
Lambaart claims that opening the online gambling market presents risks regarding player protection.
Meanwhile, the trial of Heinz-Christian Strache and Novomatic executives for the 2019 appointment of FPÖ politician Peter Sidlo as Casinos Austria CFO is approaching its conclusion.
Back then, the FPÖ was one of Austria’s two major political parties. At that time, allegations surfaced that Sidlo lacked the necessary qualifications for the role and was appointed for licensing influence.
Austria’s monopolies: Casinos Austria AG runs 12 land-based casinos, while Österreichische Lotterien (OL) and its online platform Win2Day - majority-owned via ÖLG Holding by Casinos Austria - handle lotteries and online gambling
