Incorporated in southern Central European, Austria is endowed with a historical background and a properly formatted gambling sector. However, one cannot help mentioning the developed gambling industry of the country if interested in the sphere of sports bet and the bookmakers. On the basis of the above, the purpose of this article is to explain details of gambling laws and legislation in Austria, MUCH focus on Austria Bookmakers and Sports betting.
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Table of Contents
Summary of Key Events
History of Gambling Laws in Austria
Early Beginnings
- 1696: The early disposition with legal provisions of gambling in Austria was in the early 17th century by Leopold I, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire with the purpose of prohibiting unlawful gambling.
- 18th Century: Original nobility started to gamble and thus games became more regulated.
- 1913: In order to regulate the flowing of cash, the government then passed legislation that made it legal and launched the lottery that to date is still a monopoly and major cash cow for the government.
Modern Developments
- 1934: The first casino was established in December 12, of 1934 in Baden which is near Vienna and soon made Austria’s biggest casino in Europe.
- 1967: Österreichische Spielbanken a company was established and is now the largest gambling company in Austria known today as Casinos Austria.
- 1970: Blackjack was first introduced to Austria in Casinos.
- 1989: The Law on Games of Chance (Glücksspielgesetz) was approved, thus, introducing casino and lottery licenses in Austria.
- 2001: Online gambling was legalised, this marked a new breathe of fresh air in the country’s gambling market.
- 2013: The Ministry of Finance changed the status of poker to chance-based, thus causing the shut down of such poker casinos such as Concord Casinos Group by the year 2020.
- Regulatory Framework: Gambling legislation or laws refer to statutory rules and acts that govern gambling and its related activities in the relevant jurisdiction.
Overview of Gambling Regulation
The government of Austria severely monitors gambling activities in the country with the Tax Authority of Austria which falls under the Ministry of Finance in charge of the sector. The primary legislations that encompasses gambling activities are provided by the Law on Games of Chance commonly referred to as Glücksspielgesetz. This law deals with issues of gambling license, regulation and even taxation of gambling business.
Types of Gambling
Austria differentiates between two main types of gambling:
- Regular Gambling
- Small Stakes Gambling has been translated from the German word Kleines Glücksspiel.
Small Stakes Gambling
All forms of gambling including those of small stakes are controlled at the level of federated states, hence the disparities. Some key rules for small stakes gambling include:
- Of slot or video poker machines, a maximum of one for each 50 square meters of the gross area of the slot hall.
- An initial maximum bet of €10 per spin was placed, but was lowered to €1 in premises with only a few machines.
- Four areas (Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Tyrol, Vienna) have prohibited small-scale gambling completely.
Licensing of Austria Bookmakers
License Types and Restrictions
All the providers of gambling services in Austria are required to acquire a license for their operations. Specific requirements include:
- 1. The company should be based in Austria meaning that it should be registered in this country.
- 2. The company cannot possess any other gambling licenses.
- 3. The company must only focus and penetrate the market that is in Austria only.
- 4. Such legal documents such as Certificates of good standing and good conduct for the owners and other employees of the company are necessary.
Licensing Authority
Gambling licensing falls under the special responsibilities unit of the tax authority. Casinos which are currently existing in Tanzania are currently twelve and all of them are owned and operated by Casinos Austria International AG. There is a provision for the issue of only fifteen casino licences.
Online Gambling
Online gambling is mainly a preserve of either Casinos Austria AG or is conducted under the government’s supervision depending on the sort it is. The GSpG provides a working definition of “electronic lotteries” and awards only one license for online gambling which means it forms a monopoly.
Taxation and Fees of Austria Bookmakers
Gambling Taxes
The following tax rates apply to gambling activities in Austria:
- Sports Betting: was 2% on all stakes
- Online Gambling: Indeed the cost is split between the casinos and the operators at the ratio of forty percent on the gross gambling revenue.
- Lottery: 2-27. 5% on stakes depending on the size of the prize pool.
- Gaming Machines (outside of casinos): They do this by contributing 10% on their net gambling revenues to national concern for the needy and poor.
- Casinos: 30 percent on gross gambling revenue
Austria Sports Betting
Legal Framework
When it comes to legalizing or licensing of the sport betting in Austria, the state follows federal state principles. The laws in each state are diverse, thus the operators must study the laws of the particular state that he or she wants to conduct the business in.
Prohibited and Allowed Bets
Generally, approval of sporting activities betting is accepted but specific states of the nation might have restricted some or all forms of betting. Operators must therefore be in compliance with the local laws to avert getting fined.
Sporting Event Glory Milestones
Indeed, it is a fact that Austria has done a lot in sporting particularly in skiing and football. Some notable milestones include:
- 1954: UEFA European Championships are won again by Austria this time.
- 1978: Austria successfully makes it to become the winner of FIFA World Cup competition.
- 1995: Thomas Muster clinches the French Open in tennis.
- 2008: In the end, Bernhard Kohl successfully clinches the Points awarded in the Tour de France for the climbers title.
- 2011: In the end we can state that Austria is a reigning organism dominating the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.
Conclusion
Regarding the jurisdiction of gambling Austria is quite typical and filled with various opportunities for both the administrator and the player. Austria also has a good experience in the gambling market as well as firm legal grounds for gambling business. Drastically, it would be advisable to know the laws, licensing as well as taxes for anyone who wants to open this interesting field.
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