- Two Austria guides: online casino law, and tax on winnings
- Start with the law guide if you play at foreign-licensed casinos
- Research-based, from the Ministry of Finance, the GSpG and law-firm summaries
🔒 Law and tax
Online casino law in Austria, explained sets out the GSpG and its one online concession, held by Österreichische Lotterien through win2day.at until 30 September 2027. It covers where foreign-licensed casinos fit, what § 52 (1) Z 9 GSpG says about advertising, the reform bill step by step, and why 1 January 2027 matters: foreign operators must stop serving Austria by then to qualify for a licence later. It also lays out the loss-reclaim court cases factually, including the Supreme Court decision ordering a player to hand winnings back. Read this one first.
Are casino winnings taxed in Austria? explains why private players generally pay no tax on winnings, how the 45% levy on operators’ gross gaming revenue works under § 57 GSpG, with a worked example, where professional players differ, and which points the sources leave open.
🧮 The bonus maths
Every bonus page in our Austria section shows the maths on the offer itself. The idea behind all of them fits in one chart: wagering has a cost.
🧮 How wagering eats a €100 bonus
Illustrative: expected value of a €100 bonus-only offer at 96% and 97% RTP
At a 96% return, each €100 bet costs about €4 on average. Clear a €100 bonus at 25x and you’ve bet €2,500, costing about €100, the whole bonus. Most Austrian welcome offers on our list sit at 30x to 50x, so they are paid playtime rather than value on paper. Deposit-plus-bonus wagering, as at Bison and MyStake, doubles the bets on a 100% match.
Where to apply it:
- Welcome bonuses breaks each multi-deposit package into its rungs, with the bets each one needs.
- Free spins counts spins in euros and shows the wagering on spin winnings.
- Cashback and the Austrian bonus list cover the weekly offers.
Put the guides to work
Run any offer through the wagering calculator, then compare live offers on all casino bonuses in Austria or the licences on our Austria casino list. Our how we rate page explains the scores. Gambling should stay entertainment; our responsible gambling page has limit tools, and the free hotline is 0800 20 5242.
FAQ
Which guide should I read first?
The online casino law guide. It explains the win2day monopoly, what a foreign licence means for you, the 1 January 2027 deadline in the reform bill and the loss-reclaim court cases. The tax guide builds on it.
Are the guides legal or tax advice?
No. They summarise public sources as of 3 November 2026 and say where those sources are thin. For a dispute with a casino, a loss claim or a tax question involving large amounts, talk to an Austrian lawyer or tax adviser.
Are the examples in the guides real offers?
Worked examples are labelled as examples. Where a guide or a bonus page refers to a real offer, the figures come from the casino's record on our site, which is built from Austrian review sites and operator terms.
Is there a tool to do the bonus maths for me?
Yes. The wagering calculator takes a bonus, a deposit and a multiplier and shows the total bets and the expected cost at typical slot returns.
Where can I get help if gambling becomes a problem?
The Glücksspielsucht hotline of the Medical University of Vienna is free on 0800 20 5242. Spielsuchthilfe in Vienna offers free, confidential counselling for all of Austria, and the Ministry of Finance keeps a directory of help services by federal state.