Official language: German
Population: 8,316,487
Currency: Euro (EUR)

Current Exchange Rate
1 GBP = 1.0681 EUR
1 USD = 0.6754 EUR

Quick links
Online casinos in Austria
Online poker in Austria
Online sportsbooks in Austria
Online bingo in Austria

Gambling in Austria
Gambling of every kind, from slot machines to card games to sports betting, is legal throughout Austria, but it is strictly regulated by the government. There is a strong concern that gambling will become a problem, so rules are in place, similar to those found in many European countries, that try to prevent people from becoming addicted to gambling.

The situation in Austria is unique because the law distinguishes between "proper" gambling involving large sums of money and Kleines Glücksspiel or "little gambling", which covers any game with a wager of 50 cents or less. Proper gambling is only allowed in casinos, whereas little gambling can happen anywhere – this second category includes low-stakes card games, slot machines, and more. This makes the gambling law in Austria a bit confusing, since it is based on stakes, not on the game involved.

Online Gambling in Austria
Online gambling in Austria has a rich history. Some of Europe's biggest and most profitable internet gambling companies have their roots in Austria, even though their "official" headquarters are in classic offshore locations like the Channel Islands or the Caribbean. An example of such a company is bWin, which is an Austrian corporation with licenses in many places around the globe. The parent company of bwin has even been registered in the Vienna stock exchange since 2000.

Austria also gives licenses for companies within Austria to run online gambling sites, but there is a restriction in place that says the sites can only accept Austrian players. This reflects an attempt by the Austrian government to control internet gambling in their country. The government does not block online gambling sites from other countries either, so players in Austria are free to gamble at international sites if they wish.