Online sports betting is legal and readily available for fans 18 or older in Austria.
The Austria online betting market is unique in that its nine regional territories (Bundesländer) regulate sports betting because federal law doesn’t consider it gambling. As a result, Austria lacks a comprehensive regulatory regime, but regulators in several regions have issued licenses to betting sites that offer their services nationwide.
Below is a list of the best Austrian betting sites ranked by OnlineBettingSites.com according to their reputations, welcome bonuses, ongoing promos, odds, and overall quality. In addition, readers can scroll down for a detailed but straightforward explanation of Austrian sports betting laws and other critical information for punters.
Austria Betting Sites and Apps
The patchwork nature of Austria online sports betting laws makes it difficult for prominent international operators to apply for licenses. A handful of domestic operators, such as Admiral.at, bet2day.at, and Tipp3.at hold state-level licenses to offer online sports betting, but none are well-known outside of Austria.
Other forms of online betting in Austria are similarly restricted due to the federal government granting Österreichische Lotterien (Austrian Lotteries) a monopoly over online casino games, virtual sports, keno, bingo, and more through its website at win2day.at.
Fortunately, operators licensed elsewhere openly serve Austrians without issue. Online bookmakers in other European nations are prohibited from operating in Austria, but the government lacks enforcement mechanisms. Austria does not use internet censorship or payment blocking to prevent bettors from using betting sites licensed elsewhere.
So, as counterintuitive as it sounds, the best Austrian betting sites are headquartered in other countries. They tend to offer significantly more wagering options, better odds, more frequent betting promotions, and higher-quality mobile apps than the Austria online bookmakers licensed at the state level.
Bet365 Austria
- Read more: Bet365 Austria
Bet365 is the best option among all Austrian online bookmakers for several reasons.
First, Bet365 has a nearly 25-year track record as a safe online sportsbook. Although it lacks an Austria online sports betting license, Bet365 is one of the world’s most vetted operators. It holds sports betting licenses in some of the world’s most demanding jurisdictions, including the UK, and has undergone intensive licensing investigations many times.
In all actuality, Bet365 is probably safer than any of Austria’s licensed sports betting providers due to its financial resources and deep well of experience.
Second, Bet365 offers a massive wagering catalog and takes less commission than other online bookmakers (in most cases – see the Bet365-Win2day comparison section below).
Third, Bet365 is equipped to provide instant deposits and fast withdrawals through a variety of methods (more on that below).
- Is Bet365 licensed in Austria: No
- Does Bet365 support EUR deposits: Yes
- Does Bet365 support the German language: Yes
Bet365 Austria Deposit Methods
Bet365 Austria offers at least one option for all the major types of deposit methods (credit card, cash payments, bank transfers, etc.). Minimum and maximum deposits of €5 and €150.000,00 make Bet365 welcoming to bankrolls of all sizes.
- Paysafecard: €5,00 to €1.000,00
- Sofort: €5,00 to 2.000,00
- Credit Card: €5,00 to €40.000,00
- Debit Card: €5,00 to €40.000,00
- Skrill: €5,00 to €35.000,00
- Skrill 1-Tap: €5,00 to €10.000,00
- Payz: €5,00 to €20.000,00
- Neteller: €15,00 to 37.500,00
- Wire Transfer: €100,00 to €150.000,00
22Bet Austria
- Read more: 22Bet Austria
22Bet boasts the most comprehensive wagering menu of all Austria betting sites. No other operator covers as many sports, leagues, and individual matchups as 22Bet Austria.
Some of 22Bet’s highlights include in-play betting markets for 100+ matches daily, extensive esports betting markets, and dozens of deposit methods (including bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies).
22Bet also features a large contingent of real money slots, casino games, online poker, bingo, and instant win scratch cards. In short, 22Bet is a well-rounded online sportsbook and casino.
- Is 22Bet licensed in Austria: No
- Does 22Bet support EUR deposits: Yes
- Does 22Bet support the German language: Yes
How the Austria Online Betting Market Works
Unlike most countries, Austria regulates sports betting at the state level. Online gambling and lotteries are the purview of the federal government, but the Bundesländer regulate sports wagering within their territories.
Neither the Austrian government nor the GSpG consider sports betting to be gambling due to the element of skill involved in placing winning bets. As a BMF FAQ states, “no approval from the Federal Ministry of Finance is required” for individuals to operate Austrian betting sites or shops.
However, that doesn’t mean the Austria online betting market is wide open to would-be operators. The Bundesländer exercise significant control over sports betting, and they do not permit just anyone to enter the bookmaking business.
The federal government has issued a single “electronic lotteries” license to Österreichische Lotterien, making its website (win2day.at) the de-facto Austria online betting monopoly.
The phrase “electronic lotteries” covers all games of chance permitted online in Austria. It includes casino-style games, poker, online slots in Austria, and video lottery terminals (VLTs).
Österreichische Lotterien’s monopoly doesn’t extend to online sports betting because some Bundesländer permit licensed betting shop operators to offer online wagering. However, win2day.at is the dominant force in the Austria online betting market because it is the only operator with sports betting, casino games, and more under one roof.
The complete list of win2day.at products includes:
- Sports betting
- Virtual sports betting
- Lottery games
- Instant win scratch cards
- Casino table games
- Online slots
- Bingo
- Keno
One result of Austria’s bifurcated gambling laws is a complex licensing situation for operators. For example, Österreichische Lotterien offers online sports betting in Austria with approval from the Niederösterreich government, not the federal government. As a result, its sports betting offerings are not subject to the Gambling Act or regulated by the Ministry of Finance.
Comparing Win2day to Other Austrian Betting Sites
Win2day is Austria’s most prominent online sports betting operator, but it faces intense competition from international operators like Bet365 and 22Bet.
One of the key areas where unlicensed operators can gain an advantage is pricing and vigorish because they avoid many of the expenses associated with acquiring licenses and paying taxes to the local government.
To put that theory to the test, OnlineBettingSites.com compared the odds of randomly selected Austrian Bundesliga, UEFA, and NFL markets between Win2day, Bet365, and 22Bet.
Here’s what we found:
Win2Day features competitive odds in Bundesliga matches, often matching or beating Bet365 and 22Bet in vigorish kept by the house.
Calculating the vigorish on a random sampling of three Bundesliga matches revealed Win2Day took the least commission on average, followed by 22Bet, then Bet365.
However, a random sampling of three NFL games revealed a massive advantage for Bet365 and 22Bet. There was not a single NFL game where Win2day had the pricing advantage. Instead, the vigorish was almost twice as high at Win2day.
| A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bundesliga Matches | Vig | NFL Games | Vig |
FK Austria Wien vs BW Linz | CHI Bears vs WAS Commanders | ||
| Win2day Vigorish | 5.69% | Win2day Vigorish | 8.17% |
| Bet365 Vigorish | 6.90% | Bet365 Vigorish | 4.6% |
| 22Bet Vigorish | 5.91% | 22Bet Vigorish | 5.3% |
TSV Hartberg vs WSG Tirol | JAX Jaguars vs BUF Bills | ||
| Win2day Vigorish | 5.56% | Win2day Vigorish | 7.14% |
| Bet365 Vigorish | 5.49% | Bet365 Vigorish | 3.69% |
| 22Bet Vigorish | 5.74% | 22Bet Vigorish | 5.24% |
Austria Lustenau vs Rapid Wien | BAL Ravens vs PIT Steelers | ||
| Win2day Vigorish | 5.77% | Win2day Vigorish | 7.14% |
| Bet365 Vigorish | 6.56% | Bet365 Vigorish | 4.68% |
| 22Bet Vigorish | 5.78% | 22Bet Vigorish | 5.25% |
A random sampling of three UEFA Champions League games revealed competitive pricing across all operators, with Bet365 or 22Bet having the advantage in some matches and Win2day having the edge in others.
The pricing disparity between Bet365 and Win2day for the outright winner of an upcoming F1 race was surprisingly vast. While Win2day kept a whopping 254.49% vigorish on its outright race winner market, Bet365 kept 21.66% on the same market.
Based on these results, the biggest Austrian betting sites each have their strong and weak points in terms of pricing. Fittingly, Win2day had the best pricing on Austrian Bundesliga matches, likely because it has a more confident read on its home country’s top football league.
No operator emerged as the clear winner across the board, although Bet365 and 22Bet seem to have a slight advantage in non-Bundesliga markets. As a result, bettors may consider opening accounts with multiple operators to shop for the best odds on every wager they intend to place.
Austria Online Sports Betting Laws
The Austrian Gambling Act (GSpG) is the foundational law governing gambling and online betting at the federal level. The Ministry of Finance (Bundesministerium für Finanzen or BMF) regulates online gambling in Austria, issues licenses to operators, and monitors licensees for compliance.
The BMF’s primary objectives in regulating Austrian betting sites include:
- Preventing criminal activity associated with gambling, such as money laundering, generating proceeds for criminal organizations, financing terrorism, and other fraudulent activities
- Mitigating problem gambling, addiction, and harm to individuals’ finances
- Protecting minors
- Ensuring consumer protection
- Protecting the stability of financial markets from activities like pyramid schemes and money laundering
The GSpG has little say on the matter of sports betting other than to classify it as “not gambling.” However, the government’s interpretation of the GSpG prohibits wagers on non-sporting events like politics and virtual sports, where chance plays a more significant role in determining outcomes.
Bundesländer Sports Betting Laws
The Bundesländer regulate sports betting within their territories, resulting in varying rules and regulations across Austria’s nine federal regions.
Most Bundesländer limit legal sports betting to land-based venues, although five have provisions for operators to apply for online betting licenses. In regions that permit online sports betting, only operators with licensed land-based betting shops qualify for online wagering licenses.
- Burgenland Sports Betting Law: Licensed betting shops and totalizators may offer in-person wagering on sports and racing events.
- Kärnten Sports Betting Law: Bookmakers and totalizators may apply for licenses to offer sports wagering at specific events or venues in fixed locations. Licensees may also install betting terminals at their approved locations. Terminals may not accept bets between 2 AM and 6 AM. In-play wagers on anything other than a match’s final result are prohibited.
- Niederösterreich Sports Betting Law: Operators may apply for licenses to offer sports betting online, at retail betting shops, and through self-serve terminals. Licensees may not accept bets larger than €500.
- Salzburg Sports Betting Law: Licensed entities and individuals may operate betting terminals, retail betting shops, and online sportsbooks. Sports betting operators may not accept individual wagers larger than €500 or bets on football leagues lower than the third-highest national league. Retail betting venues must close between 00:00 and 06:00 daily (limited exceptions apply).
- Steiermark Sports Betting Law: State law authorizes retail betting shops and self-serve wagering kiosks. In-play wagers may only cover the final result, interim result, and which team will score the next goal in football and ice hockey.
- Tirol Sports Betting Law: The Tirol Betting Companies Act (Tiroler Wettunternehmergesetz) regulates retail betting shops, wagering terminals, and online sportsbooks located within Tirol. Operators may not offer live wagering other than in-play wagers on the final result.
- Oberösterreich Betting Law: Licensees may operate retail betting shops, betting terminals, and online sports betting. Bookmakers may not accept wagers larger than €500.
- Vienna Sports Betting Law: The Vienna Betting Act authorizes retail betting shops and self-serve wagering kiosks. Kiosks in betting shops without staffed teller windows may not accept wagers larger than €50. In-play wagering is only permitted on interim or full-time results. Betting shops may only operate from 6 AM to 12 AM, but operators may request temporary extensions during high-profile sporting events.
- Vorarlberg Sports Betting Law: The Vorarlberg Betting Act authorizes wagering on sports, politics, cultural events, and “other events suitable for placing bets” via retail betting shops, online, and through self-serve kiosks. Betting shops must close between 12 AM and 6 AM. In-play betting is prohibited other than live bets on the final result.
Austria Horse Racing Betting
Pari-mutuel wagering and horse racing betting are the purview of state-level regulators, and the laws can vary from one territory to the next. Generally, the laws in Austria’s Bundesländer classify tote wagering the same as sports betting and regulate it accordingly.
Some of the more noteworthy horse race tracks in Austria include:
Austria Sports Betting FAQ
Mike Murphy is the founder of OnlineBettingSites.com and has over 10 years of experience in the legal online betting industry. A regular attendee of industry trade shows and conferences, Mike is a strong proponent of regulated markets and responsible gambling policies.