MARKET REPORT SUPPLEMENT www.euroslot-online.com
AUSTRIA
The following counties allow the operation of Austrian type AWPs for players above the age of 18:
Vienna: a relatively steady number of aprx. 3400 machines and an exceptionally high tax to be paid
In Austria there is a state monopoly for Casinos
monthly in advance. Maximum number of machines per site is 2, except in the two specially designated
and Lotteries. Only two private companies are
areas for gambling arcades, the Prater and the Böhmische Prater.
privileged to hold respective monopoly
Styria: a little more than 3000 machines are operating, while aprx. 4700 licences were issued. There is a
concessions and operate aprx. 1800 machines
higher number of licences, because this way you can block the site against any more competition moving in.
without limits on stake and wins. An exemption
A moderate tax has to be paid monthly.
of the Federal Gambling Law Monopoly allows
Carinthia: More than 800 machines are operated under a quite strict regime and with regular controls. A
private operators to operate gambling machines,
less moderate tax is paid monthly.
if the maximum stake is ¤ 0.50 and the
Lower Austria: There are only gambling arcades allowed with a minimum of 15 machines and strict entry
maximum win does not exceed ¤ 20.- . There
controls for identification and counting the number of visits. There are more than 800 machines in
are no further requirements or details like game
operation and 12.000 such entry control cards were issued so far. The paid in security deposit per arcade
definitions, technical or time limits, etc.
must be ¤ 4 million and the tax per machine raises to a higher level in the second year of operation and
However this so called “Kleine Glücksspiel” –
even higher in the third year.
like AWPs - is only allowed in 4 of the 9
Austrian counties. The county governments can
impose further restrictions, like in Carinthia, However it is reported that Austrians there are attempts to prohibit gambling outside
where such gambling machines must be nevertheless are already spending 4 times more of the private monopoly casinos completely,
approved and tested for a minimum payout of money per head for gambling on the internet as there are also plans to allow gambling arcades
85 % and a game must last 5 seconds. the Germans for instance. Of course it is with restrictions in all counties.
There are isolated reports of unspecified prohibited by law to gamble on the internet, but In November 2008, immediately after the
numbers of illegal gambling machines operated nobody cares, because it cannot be controlled. elections and before the new government was in
in all the other counties, but the number of Anonymous payment cards can be bought at power, an attempt was made to eliminate over
convictions for breach of the gambling law was any post office, many shops and other locations 1000 small and medium companies involved in
only 18 in 2005 and 17 in 2006 for all Austria. since nearly ten years. Also debit cards, readily the AWP gambling business in favour of a new
Numbers of any administrative actions on district available over the counter of some banks, cannot gambling regime. It would also have made over
level are not available. Since 2007/2008 large be controlled properly. 10.000 people unemployed within an interim
numbers of so called internet terminals are also The official statement of the trade body period of a few years.
operated as gambling machines within the 50 Automatenverband.at in reference to those facts Luckily the draft of the new law, which was
cent/20.-¤ exception of the monopoly, mainly, is : planned to be in power on 1st of January 2009,
but not only, in the counties with AWP gambling “Whoever tells you, that is possible to had a number of serious juridical and
prohibition. successfully prohibit or impede gambling on the constitutional mistakes in it. It also missed to
While the private company Casinos Austria AG internet, either does not know what he is talking observe some important aspects of the prevailing
operates 12 casinos in the country, there are about, or he lies.” European Union laws an d the Treaty.
allegedly about 80 to 90 casinos and gambling Another problem area is, that the Austrians Presently it is still under top secret discussion
arcades directly operating successfully since are expecting a new gambling law, which, at the Ministry of Finance, which carefully avoids
many years along the Austrian border with because of intensive lobbying by various parties the public eye.
parking spaces full of Austrian cars and more involved, will have enormous influence on the Of course it is subject of intensive lobbying by
such casinos are planned. future of the AWP gambling business. While the major players and will probably be presented
16
SEPTEMBER 2009
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