Austria's proposed Gambling Reform Act 2026, which aims to liberalise online gambling, faces a narrower legislative window to secure approval before year-end. This is because Malta's intervention extended the European Union's notification standstill period by one month.
Malta has issued a detailed opinion on the notified draft, and the standstill period originally set to end tomorrow now runs until 7 December. The law cannot be adopted before this date.
Esteemed lawyer Dr Christian Rapani notes that very few session dates remain after the standstill period ends. According to the National Council’s schedule, only two plenary sessions remain this year, on 10 December and 11 December 2026. The bill must be considered during one of these sessions for the reform to enter into force as planned on 1 January 2027. If this deadline is missed, the next plenary session is not scheduled until 20 January 2027.
Rapani understands from sources close to the legislative process that lawmakers intend to advance the bill through parliament in December. The Rapani Law Firm believes that although the timeline is ambitious, it is doable.
However, any delays at a committee level risk extending the reform into 2027. Furthermore, amendments in the parliamentary process that change the nature of requirements would require a new notification and trigger a new standstill period.
In separate news from the country, last month Casinos Austria appointed Andreas Bierwirth as Director General and Chairman of the Board of Austrian Lotteries.
Succeeding Erwin van Lambaart, Bierwirth will be one of only two people on the company's board.
According to local media, the Ministry of Finance plans to award the next land-based casino concessions in two bundled packages; the aim is to prevent operators from selecting only the most profitable locations
