Fight for Austria’s lotteries, the French also want to bid

“We are very interested in the license in Austria and have been preparing for a long time,” confirmed Giovanna D’Esposito, Chief Officer International Lottery at FDJ United, in an interview with KURIER.

The gaming group, like the British-American Brightstar Group, wants to set up a consortium with local Austrian partners. There is a shortlist, but D’Esposito prefers not to name any names yet. The potential partners come from the banking, IT and retail sectors. FDJ United has already founded a company in Austria and wants to retain the majority in the consortium.

The listed group has not yet decided to take part in the tender for the lottery concession, which expires at the end of September 2027. The prerequisite is a fair and transparent procedure, emphasizes D’Esposito, who emphasizes the commitment to player protection.

“More is possible”

It is still unclear whether they will also apply for online concessions.

She is convinced that FDJ, with its decades of international experience in the lottery business, can increase sales and tax performance in Austria and increase the number of players. The French also want to promote the online lottery; the traditional game is too passive for young customers. In Austria only 40 percent of the population plays the lottery. In France one in two and in Ireland 72 percent.

FDJ was founded in 1933 and, like the Austrian Lotteries, is a member of the Euromillions. In 2023, Lotteries Ireland was taken over. The listed group is the world’s fifth largest lottery provider and last year achieved gross gaming revenue of 8.7 billion euros with 33 million players and 34,000 sales partners in France and Ireland. The Ebitda margin is 25 percent.

The French state has a 21 percent stake, 16 percent are held by veterans’ associations. Almost three quarters of the gross gaming revenue (stakes minus payouts) comes from the lottery.

The domestic lotteries are a subsidiary of Casinos Austria and, with a 2025 balance sheet profit of almost 159 million euros, are the cash cow of the partially state-owned gaming group. The Czech Allwyn Group owned by billionaire Karel Komarek holds the majority.

According to its own information, Brightstar is number one internationally and wants to enter the race with sales and media partners. In the coalition’s draft of the new gambling law, online sales of lottery products are still only reserved for the lottery concessionaire.