Top Casinos and Best Banking Options for Austrian Players

In February 2021, the minister Gernot Blümel announced a wide-ranging revamp of the country’s gambling regulatory framework. The overhaul would include enhanced player protection controls, new transparency requirements, and the formation of a new supervisory authority. Activity against unlicensed operators is expected to grow stronger by ordering  internet service providers to block access to such sites. A part of this will be a creation of a blacklist of unlicensed domains. These new regulations should face parliament and the laws are expected to be passed by late 2021.

In practice, the Austrian gambling scene represents a monopoly. Of the 15 available licences for land-based casinos, Casinos Austria AG holds 12, valid until 2027. The remaining three licenses were revoked. Österreichische Lotterien GmbH is the only one with a license for lotteries, electronic lotteries and VLTs. There is only one online gambling operator approved to provide local players with online casino and poker products, Win2Day – a subsidiary of Casinos Austria. Austrian citizens are free to join foreign websites, as access to them is not blocked by local authorities – yet.

Austrian Market Updates

• February 2021: Finance Ministry of Austria announces a set of proposals to reform gambling in Austria, including the establishment of a new independent regulator.

Each online casino player should always question the trustworthiness of the casinos on the web that comes their way. That being said, we believe this is a very important subject to address in each of our market presentations at CBM. As for Austrian online casinos we’ve been able to test and evaluate, they can be fully trusted. Starting with their license and customer treatment policy, across software quality and fair bonuses to dedicated support and convenient, locally-accepted banking, there is very little room for doubts, if any.

It perfectly clear to us that most players feel the most comfortable when they can make use of a banking method that is already familiar to them, easy to use, easily accessible and allows them to make deposits in local currency. Austrian audience has at least one local method that is well-supported by online casinos, and that is EPS.

EPS Uberweisung is an instant banking payment option that was developed by the Austrian government in collaboration with local banks in 2001. You can take advantage of the services offered by EPS if you are a client of Raiffeisen, Erste Bank or Volksbank, for example. Apart from EPS, which is one of the best deposit options in Austria, online casino depositors often use methods like CashtoCode, Sofort, Giropay, Trustly, UseMyFunds and also PayPal and Paysafecard.

Austria is tightly connected to other European countries, especially its neighbours. As a favourable consequence, Austrian online casino gamblers have a bunch of options for depositing and withdrawing money coming from various European regions. Banking options are so numerous that even cryptocurrency can be widely used for depositing. There are even ATMs in Austria that exchange Bitcoin to Euro.

Contrary to popular belief, few nations are as passionate about gambling as Austrians. Even though Casinos Austria AG has a monopoly on the industry, guests can benefit from it. It doesn’t matter which of the 12 venues you visit – they all share the same approach and have helpful employees. But who has time to enter all 12 venues? To save you the effort, we’ve decided to present the five best ones and highlight their strong suits. Get ready to put that Glücks card to good use!

Baden Casino

If you’re feeling lucky and want to try your hand at some classic casino games, the Baden Casino, also known as Casino Baden, is the place to be. Located in the town of Baden, Austria, this gaming destination has it all – from blackjack and roulette to poker and slot machines. In total, there are 200 slots and 20+ tables. But the fun doesn’t stop there – the Baden Casino also has a restaurant and bar on-site, so you can fuel up (or celebrate your winnings) while dancing with your loved ones. Just make sure you’re dressed to impress – the casino has a formal dress code. And don’t forget, you have to be at least 18 years old to enter.

Casino Innsbruck

Casino Innsbruck has been underrated for most of its existence. But once you visit it, you’ll probably start counting the days until your return. The best part about this venue is how it mixes different casino games to form a cohesive and thrilling environment. We can see this first-hand in the Live Table Games room, featuring 5 blackjack tables, 3 poker tables and one each devoted to Punto Banco and Hi-Lo, respectively. If you want to compete, the poker room offers three tables and an intimate atmosphere. Make sure you’re wearing a dress shirt and a jacket and that you have a valid passport/ID to prove you’re over 18.

Casino Graz

The best way to describe this brick-and-mortar casino would be as a scaled-down version of Casino Innsbruck. As we said, one company owns all the venues in Austria, so expect to see more of this subtle copying. But hey, who can blame them? Open from 15:00 to 03:00, Casino Graz is a small building but still manages to house ~150 slots and plenty of different table games. What makes this particular casino special, though, is its dedication to organizing poker tournaments. Adding multi-roulette terminals was also a great idea, as it saves loads of space. And in an exclusive location like this one, it’s at a premium.

Casino Vienna

Unlike other casinos on this list, Casino Vienna doesn’t try to market itself as a table game-centric place. Instead, they went all out on digital games. There are more than 250 slots, with each terminal offering the latest and greatest titles amongst Austrian players. Interestingly, there are 40+ electronic roulette terminals. Don’t worry, though, as live table games are still plentiful. American roulette, poker (table game) and blackjack dominate this section, but our favorite has to be French roulette. Not many casinos outside the Azure Coast offer this player-friendly variant. We’d love to see them add poker cash games, but the current offer is enough to satisfy even the most demanding guest.

Casino Salzburg

In terms of exteriors, Casino Salzburg is by far the most gorgeous land-based casino in Austria. But wait until you set foot inside! You’ll have a hard time finding a better poker room anywhere in the region. There’s a total of 7 tables, split between Texas Hold’em and Omaha. When you get tired of bluffing, why not try blackjack or American roulette? Don’t forget the slots either – there are 200+ machines, and they’re all state-of-the-art. You don’t have to pay an entry fee, but you’d better not show up without a shirt & jacket. Even though the dress code is formal, the atmosphere is anything but.