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OVWG Demand The End Of Austria’s Gambling Monopoly In Light Of Corruption
By Shane Addinall Nov 29, 2019 IndustryThe Austrian Association for Betting and Gambling (OVWG) highlights the recent political scandal connected to the country's gambling monopoly as proof that change is needed to protect players, curb crime and increase local revenue generation.The OVWG, Austria’s domestic Association for Betting and Gambling, has become increasingly vocal about the failings of the regions current gambling legislation.
Their website states:
“The OVWG pursues the goal of achieving legal certainty and fairness for all providers on the Austrian online gaming and betting market. In doing so, it aims to achieve uniform, market-compliant regulation throughout Austria, which is in line with the requirements of Union law”
Their stance is that with increased online access and advancements in mobile technology the current government-controlled gambling monopoly no longer serves to protect the interests of the individual or the country as a whole.
✓Scandal Shines A Light
Police raids recently brought to light proof that the state-run gambling monopoly, far from being in place to protect the local populace from abuse, has in fact given rise to corruption as politicians and the monopoly operator, Casinos Austria, pay their way to the outcomes they desire.
OVWG have made their position on this clear:
“Austria urgently needs to rethink its gambling monopoly.”
In particular, the appointment of a local politician, Peter Sidlo, to the position of Chief Financial Officer of Casinos Austria has raised some eyebrows. He has been accused of driving changes to Viennese online gambling regulations in favour of Casinos Austria in return for the position he now holds.
Given that Casinos Austria has held the monopoly since 2016 it is unclear at this time what other skeletons their closet contains, however local authorities continue to investigate.
✓What Gambling In Austria Needs
The OVWG maintains that the only way to ensure a safe and transparent gambling environment for Austrian consumers is to remove the monopoly and allow for a regulated free market licencing system.
Despite the monopoly, Austria enjoys the goodwill of a number of OVWG members which includes Mr Green casino, LeoVegas Casino and Bet-At-Home casinos. These operators, among others, choose to pay taxes and create jobs in the region. In total they have created over 1000 employment opportunities and pay over €100 million per annum in taxes. A regulated market could see these figures increase exponentially.
Besides creating the best framework for players and allowing the country to increase its revenues in terms of taxes and licencing fees OVWG highlights the fact that Austria’s current monopoly is in direct contravention of the free trade agreement that exists between members of the European Union.
From a player protection, data access, revenue generation and legal perspective opening up online casino and betting licences to international operators is where the smart money lies.
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