Austria will use IP-blocking technology to prevent citizens from accessing unlicensed digital gaming sites, reports CalvinAyre.com. Casinos Austria, an entity that is partially owned by the state, is now the only officially licensed online operator.
Though the government is working to exclude any illegal play, it continues to tax online winnings, no matter where a site originates.
The European Commission, which wants to relax trade barriers between member states, frowns on geo-blocking. EC Vice President Andrus Ansip recently told reporters that Europeans “are digitally grounded. They cannot choose or move freely. In the 21st century, this is absurd.” He said geo-blocking is “old-fashioned.”
