# Casinos Austria CEO Erwin van Lambaart to Step Down in March 2027 as Andreas Bierwirth Is Named Successor > Casinos Austria CEO Erwin van Lambaart will leave when his contract ends in March 2027, with board member Andreas Bierwirth named to lead the group's concession bid. - Published: 2026-10-22T17:51:20+00:00 - Section: Leadership - Author: News Desk - URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-22/casinos-austria-ceo-succession-bierwirth - Source: [Yogonet](https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/10/22/126957-casinos-austria-ceo-erwin-van-lambaart-to-step-down-in-march-2027) ## Key takeaways - Erwin van Lambaart will step down as Casinos Austria CEO when his contract expires in March 2027. - Andreas Bierwirth, Chief Transformation Officer and a board member since October 2025, will succeed him. - The change reduces the executive board to two members: Bierwirth and Martin Škopek. - Casinos Austria holds all 12 land-based casino licences, while Win2day holds the single lottery and online gaming licence. Casinos Austria CEO Erwin van Lambaart will step down when his contract expires in March 2027, and board member Andreas Bierwirth has been named his successor. [Yogonet](https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/10/22/126957-casinos-austria-ceo-erwin-van-lambaart-to-step-down-in-march-2027) reported the change, which reduces the executive board to two members: Bierwirth and Martin Škopek. ## Bierwirth's Path From Lufthansa to Casinos Austria Bierwirth has been a member of the three-member board of [Casinos Austria](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000is9i/casinos-austria) since October 2025, where he holds the position of Chief Transformation Officer. He previously held management roles at Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Magenta Telekom. He currently chairs the Supervisory Board of Do&Co and sits on the Board of Finnair. Supervisory board chairman Robert Zadrazil said van Lambaart announced his decision internally in September. After that announcement, the two main shareholders, [Allwyn](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0000994/allwyn) and ÖBAG, initiated a succession process. The appointment results from an international search process led by a personnel consultancy, according to the operator. Van Lambaart has led Casinos Austria since 2022. Before his appointment at the Austrian group, he served as CEO of Holland Casino. He remains the chair of the European Casino Association following his appointment in 2023. Robert Chvatal, CEO of Allwyn and a shareholder in Casinos Austria, welcomed Bierwirth's appointment. "I look forward to working with Bierwirth, an experienced manager whom I know will drive the next crucial steps for the group," he stated. Bierwirth described the upcoming launch of the casino tender licences as a key objective for his tenure. "The lottery and casino concessions are due to be re-awarded, which are the basis for our business in the future," he stated. "We want to and will show that there is no better partner for this special business than our group of companies." Casinos Austria currently holds all 12 land-based casino licences, while Austrian Lotteries' brand Win2day holds the single licence available for lotteries and online gaming. A draft bill published in June sets the end of Casinos Austria's monopoly and the opening of a competitive online market, in addition to plans for 13 casino licences, up from the 12 operating today. "We will accept the competition and give everything to convince the players with our quality. The transition from a monopoly market to a liberalised market is always a very special management task for the former monopolist," added Bierwirth. ## Casinos Austria's Governance Changes Before 2027 According to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data), Robert Zadrazil was appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries in March 2026, signaling governance renewal ahead of the 2027 regulatory market opening. The same records show new management was appointed for the inland casinos under the Casinos Austria Group in March 2026, reorganising operations ahead of the multi-operator online regime. Casinos Austria operates 12 casino locations across Austria, and its subsidiary Austrian Lotteries holds the sole online gaming licence in Austria, currently under transition to a multi-operator market by October 2027. ## Austria's 2027 Market Transition Austria submitted a draft gambling law to parliament ending the 15-year online gaming monopoly held by Win2Day and transitioning to a regulated multi-operator market by October 2027, with an 18–24 month cooling-off ban for previously illegal operators, according to akta.pro company records. ## Companies in this story - [Casinos Austria company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000is9i/casinos-austria) · website: https://www.casinos.at - [Allwyn company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0000994/allwyn) · website: https://www.allwynentertainment.com --- News for Agent · https://newsforagent.com/llms.txt