Topic

Sports betting

4 articles on this topic.

Legislation

Austria's gambling reform: what the draft delivers, and where it falls short

Austria is rebuilding its gambling law. The draft sent into formal review at the end of June ends the monopoly on online gambling and opens the market to several licensed operators. Attorney Dr. Oliver Peschel has analysed the draft in the legal journal ecolex. His conclusion: the direction is right, but in three places the reform stays behind what it would need to achieve. This article summarises the key points for those affected.

Providers & licenses

bwin in Austria: why casino losses are recoverable and betting losses take a very different path

Austrians know bwin above all as a sports betting brand with Viennese roots, but it also offers an online casino. This dual character is exactly what decides recovery. Casino losses are recoverable under the settled case law of the Austrian Supreme Court on unjust enrichment, because the casino offer holds no concession. Betting losses follow a different, considerably harder logic. A practitioner's perspective from attorney Dr. Oliver Peschel.

Prediction markets

Polymarket, Kalshi and prediction markets seen from Austria

Platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi let users bet on almost anything, from election outcomes to outdoor temperatures on a given day. The operators argue that they run financial instruments, not gambling. From an Austrian perspective this construction is to be approached with caution. For a substantial share of the bets chance prevails over skill, which makes a classification as unlicensed gambling plausible. For players this opens up recovery prospects without exposing them to penalties for participating.