New gambling bill wins praise but faces criticism

Austria’s planned new gambling law would strengthen player protection but still needs improvements, experts told ORF. The legislation is due to be introduced by autumn.

Thomas Steininger began gambling online at 17, losing his apprentice pay. After gambling away 70,000 euros, he overcame his addiction in 2023 and has since campaigned for stronger player protection. He described the draft law as “a positive step towards better player protection” on the ORF programme “Wien heute”.

The Spielsuchthilfe support organisation also sees improvements in addiction prevention, particularly the planned introduction of a nationwide exclusion database. Its president, Izabela Horodecki, said people with serious gambling problems had previously needed to exclude themselves separately with each provider, creating a barrier given the number of available services.

However, the draft does not make it easier for players to exclude themselves from gambling providers abroad. Steininger said data could be exchanged with neighbouring countries, noting that the Czech Republic had long had such a system and Germany introduced one in its gambling law reform.

The proposed deposit limits, especially for young adults, are also considered too high. Horodecki described young people as a particularly vulnerable group. Steininger said that someone earning 700 euros a month as an apprentice should not be able to lose 1,680 euros through gambling.

Spielsuchthilfe also criticised the draft for continuing not to classify sports betting as gambling. The organisation said this was concerning for prevention and player protection because the same safeguards would not apply. Half of its clients have problems with sports betting, it said, and it is seeking more funding for easily accessible support services as the number of people addicted to gambling remains consistently high.