Since legal poker was severely restricted, one million Austrians play illegally. Experts are calling for an immediate review of the liberalization of the poker market.
“While the amendment to the law was actually intended to strengthen player protections, these bans have achieved the opposite. It is therefore no exaggeration to speak of unsustainable conditions,” says study author Andreas Kreutzer of the market analysis company Brancheradar.
Online providers are celebrating tremendous growth
In 2020 the cards had already been shuffled again. Because the lockdowns caused by the pandemic had led to a strong redistribution of game stocks. While the online providers could of course celebrate enormous growth, the stationary offer (casinos and parlors with vending machines or video lottery terminals) collapsed en masse.
For the “earthly”, ie poker directly at the table, things got even worse. Since the transitional periods for private providers ended at the beginning of the year, they all had to close. Only the casinos of Casinos Austria and the online offer of the Austrian lotteries with “win2day” remained as a legal way of gambling with the 52 cards of the so-called Anglo-American hand – the most played variant.
The terrifying numbers:
While some 19 million euros were illegally gambled in 2019, the amount of ‘black money’ exploded last year to 37.2 (!) Million euros. According to Kreutzer, it would make sense to put all our cards on the table now and explore an immediate liberalization of the poker market. Because the market is expected to continue to grow rapidly – to the detriment of the licensed sector.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
