Can I play online legally if I live in Austria?

Hi there,

i need some advice and i thought this was the best place to ask. I recently got married and moved to Austria because my wife is Austrian. Gambling is a lifelong passion of mine and has brought me a lot of luck (I even met my wife in a casino).

However, since moving here, I've only found conflicting information on whether or not online gambling is illegal here. Some say it's illegal, others encourage me to keep playing casino games but warn me to play via VPN.

I've tried doing my own research on the subject, but I'm still at a loss. Here is an example of what I mean: https://www.regionews.at/newsdetail/F Follow_Oesterreich_beim_Gluecksspiel_Gesetz_Deutschland_oder_der_Schweiz-386404 . There is more information here about Swiss and German gambling regulations than Austrian ones, and everywhere I look it's the same.

Can someone give me some advice on what to do, or at least tell me where to look? Gambling has gone from a passion to a nice passive income for me, and I don't want to give that up. I would like to understand the current situation better, because of course I want to avoid trouble with the law.

I would be grateful for any advice and any help. Thanks!

Austria has a monopoly and at the moment only Win2Day can be played. But in Austria no players are penalized if they play at other casinos (which usually have better payout percentages, bonuses and games on offer). DH it is not a problem if you switch to others, which probably 99% do.

Much luck!

So even if the government realises there are winnings from foreign casinos on your bank account, they won't care in this case?

Yes, no problem. Banks in Austria have no problem with it - at least not yet. For larger amounts you may have to prove where the money comes from. But that's money laundering, not gambling.

Alright, thank you for clarifying this. It's always the best to get the information from someone local 🙂

Sorry, but that's not true either.

It is true that Austria has a monopoly on gambling and that Win2day is allowed to operate it.

You may very well play abroad - it is legal if the corresponding casinos also have the Austrian license for it, then the casinos are also allowed to accept money from Austrian players.

If a casino does not have this license, it is illegal and also forbidden for the casino to accept money from players in Austria.

That's why a foreign casino had to give all of his money back to a player because they didn't have a license.

Nothing happens to the player himself here

And there are already some players who have sued for the money