The Austrian state of Carinthia has awarded new licences for its provincial market, allowing three operators to continue running slot machine venues across the region for the next licensing period.
Indeed, these licences are renewed every 10 years and have been awarded to Admiral, Fair Games and Amatic following a competitive application process involving a total of four bidders. The three successful applicants will be permitted to operate slot machines at 26 locations across Carinthia from September, maintaining the current number of venues.
According to the Carinthian government, the licensing process involved an extensive review of approximately 30,000 pages of documentation and more than 500 individual systems. The applications were assessed by an independent evaluation commission, with an enhanced focus drawn on player protection and responsible gambling measures.
State officials said each gaming machine and venue must obtain final regulatory approvals individually before commencing operations. However, local authorities have stated that the approved proposals met the required standards and were designed to help reduce gambling-related harm while limiting illegal gambling activity.
This latest update comes at a critical inflection point for Austria’s gambling market, as the nation is set to undertake a complete reform of its gambling act in the coming years – with a new gambling bill having been submitted to the European Commission this week. For the time being, the licensed Carinthian market is expected to generate €8.4m in annual revenue for the state.
This latest statewide renewal has, however, drawn criticism from opposition party leader Gerhard Köfer, who reiterated calls for a complete ban on slot machines, citing estimates that around 5,000 people in the province are affected by gambling addiction, with a further 15,000 considered at risk.
He argued that the newly awarded licences should be the last issued for gambling machines in Carinthia, despite new nationwide regulation appearing to be around the corner.
Carinthia is Austria’s least densely populated state and borders Slovenia on the nation’s southern border
