In a statement on its website, the EGBA has asked for the country’s government officials to utilise the ongoing negotiations to reform the current gambling system.

The association said: “The country’s outdated gambling monopoly framework not only falls behind contemporary European standards but actively undermines consumer protection, regulatory oversight, and tax generation.

“While 21 EU member states have already fully modernised their online gambling frameworks through multi-licensing for online casino gaming, Austria remains locked in the past alongside only Poland in maintaining a monopoly system. 

“The consequences are clear: a thriving black market where thousands of Austrian players gamble on unregulated websites beyond the reach of local consumer protection measures or government oversight.”

The EGBA is asking for Austria’s Chancellor Nehammer (ÖVP), Chairman Babler (SPÖ), and Chairwoman Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) to introduce multi-licensing for online casino gaming and “build on the foundation of reforms initiated by former Finance Minister Brunner and bring Austria’s gambling regulation into the 21st century”.

The association noted three key benefits of online casino multi-licensing: better player protection tools and measures, improved regulatory oversight to monitor gambling in a market and greater economic benefits through additional tax revenue from licensed operations.

“The evidence from across Europe is clear and compelling: multi-licensing works,” commented Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA.

“It brings gambling activity into the regulated market, protects consumers, and generates significant tax revenue.”

The EGBA added that Austria is currently at a crossroads and that it can “learn from two decades of regulatory experience across Europe and design a best-in-class framework that protects players while maximising the economic benefits”.

As such, the association listed four essential steps for reform: create a competitive licensing framework with strong safeguards, establish a dedicated gambling authority to monitor compliance and market integrity, strengthen consumer protection and design a smart tax policy.

Haijer continued: “With government negotiations underway, Austria has a golden opportunity to modernise its approach to online casino regulation and benefit from the proven regulatory approaches elsewhere. The time to act is now.”

Multi-licensing developments in other European countries were also highlighted by the association, such as Finland which is expected to introduce a licensing system by no later than January 2026.

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The gambling regulators of Austria, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Great Britain met in Vienna on June 11-12 to discuss these topics and what must be done to make sure players are protected. 

Collectively, the regulators have released a statement – via the Spanish regulator Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego and French regulator Autorité Nationale des Jeux – making a declaration on how the issues of scratchcard regulation and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice should proceed.

In the statement, the regulators said that, regarding the ECJ’s preliminary ruling running in various countries, although the EU guarantees establishment and service-providing freedoms, the court recognises that member states “may impose proportionate restrictions on these freedoms to regulate gambling, and especially to protect gamblers through national laws”. 

However, the regulators noted that many of them “have seen more and more challenges to these principles, notably through some preliminary ruling procedures” and that they “wish to cooperate, or even intervene, in these proceedings to ensure that the court’s case law protecting players is respected”. 

Regarding scratchcards, due to their popularity in some regions and often being shared between parents and minors, the regulators noted that they are committed to working collectively to ensure regulation is implemented effectively for “players’ protection, especially for minors that should not be introduced to gambling through this type of offer” due to the gambling risks involved.

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Facilitated via Evolution’s One Stop Shop platform, the integration will see win2day players gain access to a plethora of Nolimit City’s slot content as the studio taps into Austrian audiences for the first time. 

Praising the studio’s latest market entry, Malcolm Mizzi, Commercial Director at Nolimit City, said: “After a sensational start to the year, we are thrilled to keep the momentum going with this fantastic news. Collaborating with a renowned brand like win2day underscores our dedication to expanding into new markets and only fuels our ambition to become the very best.”

As a result of the partnership, Nolimit City will gain increased exposure for a selection of its slots as win2day players discover titles such as Fire in the Hole xBomb in the operator’s online casino lobby. 

Georg Wawer, Managing Director of win2day, added: “As the only licensed online gaming provider in Austria, we strive towards continuously expanding our game portfolio while also maintaining the highest quality standards. Nolimit City is the perfect fit for that. We are looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership.”

The deal adds to a busy period of expansion for the slot provider, having recently swelled its position in the African online casino market after gaining entry into South Africa.

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Enhancing the operator’s retail delivery, the deal will see Betegy power content generation across all marketing points throughout Tipico’s German and Austrian retail state, including self-service betting terminals and display screens. 

Commenting on the deal, Alex Kornilov, CEO at Betegy, said: “Tipico is a huge operator in Germany, and we’re thrilled to sign this agreement that will see us provide our leading marketing solution across its entire German and Austrian estates.

“It is a hugely exciting project as we look to bring tangible value to bettors in every corner of the country, as well as further strengthening our ties with our long-standing partner – we can’t wait to start showing just how much is possible.”

Within the deal, all displays will be controlled via a singular Betegy-constructed platform, which allows Tipico to instantly generate and adjust all visual content and therefore engage players more than ever before.

Moreover, the partnership between the two will allow Tipico to take “the next step forward” in its retail marketing operations across its 1,200 plus German and Austrian betting shops.

Kajetan Strini-Brown, head of acquisition marketing at Tipico, added: “Betegy’s impressive products have allowed us to increase the speed and scope of our retail marketing efforts.

“Having this throughout every retail betting point in Germany and Austria is an amazing improvement in our retail customer experience, and we’re excited to see the results!”

The alliance follows important commercial agreements signed by Betegy, most recently including ESTV, FTN Network, PokerGO, Germany’s Tipico, as well as Parimatch, and Coingaming.io.

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Malta headquartered Relax, who unveiled plans to enter boxing and mixed martial arts as part of its first branded content agreement last week, adds another firm to its operator portfolio after “signing more than 50 agreements in a matter of months,” with its suite of content containing in excess of 570 titles.

Daniel Eskola, CEO of Relax Gaming, commented: “Interwetten is a leading operator in Germany, Austria and beyond, and we are delighted to be bringing our full suite of proprietary and partner content to its players.

“We’re confident that its players will enjoy playing our games time and time again and are looking forward to realising this partnership’s full potential.”

As part of the link-up the provider’s range of in-house content, including table games and video slots such as Dragon’s Awakening, and block breaking title Temple Tumble, will be made available to the operator as part of the agreement.

Furthermore, Interwetten will also have access to content from Relax Gaming’s growing portfolio of Silver Bullet and Powered By partners.

Mario Bilic, head of casino at Interwetten, added: “Relax Gaming’s products might be new, but they’re making the kind of waves that make us confident that they’ll add a positive new dimension to our casino offering.

“The groundbreaking Silver Bullet partner program provides us with fantastic ease of access to an abundance of innovative titles from Relax Gaming’s partner studios, which we are excited to be introducing to our players.”

Last week casino content developer Pragmatic Play unveiled plans to increase the distribution of its live casino offering, after sealing what it describes as a “landmark” agreement alongside Interwetten.

Under the terms of the deal the former is to provide Interwetten customers with its live casino suite, broadcast “using the latest technology from a state-of-the-art, newly constructed studio”.

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Launching in the regions two years ago, CashtoCode partnered with large retail and convenience chains, allowing customers to make C2C payments across many locations such as newsagents, grocery stores, gas stations, retail shops and drug store chains.

This is a similar approach to what expansion is to entail, encompassing new markets such as the UK, Greece and Italy, with the company stressing that “cash remains among the most popular methods of payment” across the continent.

Enabling players to deposit money directly into their igaming accounts, minus additional online registration or sign-up processes, players are expected to be able to utilise in excess of 60,000 European retail locations.

Making physical cash deposits at a point of sale location, withdrawing the need for credit cards, players select a deposit amount within the app and a barcode is generated that can be presented at their chosen point-of-sale, allowing them to pay instantly and have their gaming account credited.

C2C states that it “is the only mobile cash option that meets the strict anti-money laundering regulations (AML 4 and AML 5) required by major igaming operators”.

Seth Iorio, chief executive officer at CashtoCode, explained: “Cash remains a hugely popular payment method in Europe and will always have a seat at the table. igaming operators that ignore cash are missing out on a huge market opportunity, which is only set to grow in the years ahead.

“CashtoCode is perfect for any igaming operator that wants to introduce a smart, closed-loop cash deposit alternative. The fact that CashtoCode is not transferable between people like any other cash voucher out there, also adds an important layer of integrity to the transaction.  

“We were able to team up with several Tier-1 gaming operators last year, but we also saw an impressive uptake in the online entertainment and retail sectors.

“I’m confident that this trend can continue and that we’ll be able to announce even more additional geographies later in Q2 and Q3 2019. It promises to be an exciting year for cash in igaming.”

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The Austria headquartered organisation is set to provide a range of gaming terminals, casino management system and media technology across its casino floor, designed to “excite tourists and local players alike”.

As a result of the agreement Novomatic and Ainsworth Game Technology are to occupy approximately 35 per cent of the entire slot floor, via a total of 200 slot machines and 125 electronic table games terminals.

Lawrence Levy, VP of global sales for Novomatic, commented: “We are delighted to provide a range of leading Novomatic and Ainsworth gaming machines, as well as the casino system and media solutions, to the new Corona Casino.

“The southeast Asia region is a strong area of growth for Novomatic, and we are extremely excited to play a major role in the development of Vietnam.”

In total the casino, situated on Vietnam’s largest island of Phu Quoc, is to house a total of 1,000 slot machines from a range of manufacturers, with the venue also encapsulating 100 gaming tables, offering eight types of games such as baccarat, roulette, blackjack, sic-bo and several forms of poker, in addition to VIP facilities, a private sky casino and three restaurants.

Peter Keijzer, general manager of Corona Casino, explained: “Casinos these days are not just about slots and tables anymore. We selected Novomatic because of their expertise, and we believe in helping companies discover new territories.

“Phu Quoc Vietnam is Asia but also has a lot of European customers, which is why Upffinity Management Company created a mix of slot and table products from all over the world.

“We had to build this casino in seven months so we needed fast and short communication lines – Novomatic and Jade Gaming performed and executed. It’s that simple.”

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Novomatic has been working with the Medical University of Vienna – known as MedUni Vienna – in the field of addiction prevention since 2006 and that co-operation has now been extended for another two years.

During those two years, Novomatic will provide support for research projects on addiction research and addiction therapy, worth €120,000.

“Co-operation in the field of addiction prevention, science and research form part of Novomatic’s corporate responsibility,” said Dr Eva Glawischnig (pictured), head of group corporate responsibility and sustainability at Novomatic.

“This commitment is not limited to Austria but instead takes place in all countries in which we operate,”

In addition to the treatment work, there is also specific research work on prevention and therapy at the MedUni Vienna in Vienna’s General Hospital.

Professor Gabriele Fischer enjoys international recognition as head of the drug outpatient clinic, addiction research and addiction therapy at the MedUni Vienna due to her in-depth research work. For example, she advises the United Nations and the World Health Organisation as an expert.

“Part of the research projects is only possible because of the co-financing of private sponsors. Novomatic has been making a substantial contribution for years to support independent research work,” said Professor Fischer.

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The new office will complement GLI’s existing laboratory in Graz and strengthens the company’s strong European offering in the areas of online gaming, land-based testing and lottery certification.

GLI Traiskirchen becomes the third GLI office in the region, in addition to Graz and in Krakow, Poland, with all three forming the GLI Austria operation.

The Traiskirchen office is around 20km south of Vienna and is led by technical manager, Christian Schlinger.

“The opening of our new Traiskirchen office is but the latest example of how we partner with local markets to deliver the global strength of our world-class testing, certification, and customer service,” said GLI Austria managing director, Heinz Winkelbauer.

“By adding additional technical experts and enhanced capacity to our already impressive capabilities, we are able to do even more of the heavy lifting that our valued European clients and customers demand for their mission-critical projects.”

Martin Britton, managing director of GLI Europe and Africa, added: “The opening of this office is part of our long-term growth, with it being strategically located to serve Austria and bordering countries. The team is ready to serve current and future clients.”

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Teilman said: “The acquisition strengthens our position in the DACH region. We have identified the region as one of the geographical markets with the highest growth potential in the long run.

“This transaction will give us further opportunities to grow our existing operations in the region, and also expand these assets to new markets.”

The affiliate, which is known for its comparison websites within igaming, announced its intent to acquire the assets on April 19. Webwiser’s assets show strong growth and are currently generating quarterly sales of approximately €200,000, with an operating margin of approximately 75 per cent.

The initial purchase consideration of €2.29m will be settled with existing cash resources. Payment of a maximum additional consideration of €1.25m may also be required. RB Capital advised Webwiser on the sale of its assets.

Teilman added: “Considering the fact the founders will remain and continue to work with the assets for Net Gaming feels truly great, since we have got a great first impression of the said founders.”

André Boeck, founder and CEO of Webwiser, commented: “We are truly excited at finding the right buyer for our business, and are looking forward to work with the team at Net Gaming to take the websites to the next level.

“With its proven track record and a group of savvy people around, Net Gaming takes a great leap forward to become a major player in performance marketing on the DACH market.”

COMMENT: The German market is the last major European jurisdiction without up-to-date online gambling legislation, so Net Gaming’s move could be a longer term strategic play for when the market does (eventually) open up with new regulation.

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