Casinos Austria Names Andreas Bierwirth as Next CEO Ahead of Concession Award

^{Casinos Austria runs venues across the country, including Casino Baden near Vienna. (Photo: Anna Saini / Wikimedia Commons)}

Casinos Austria has named Andreas Bierwirth as its next chief executive. The supervisory board appointed him as general director of Casinos Austria AG and chairman of the management board of Österreichische Lotterien from 14 March 2027, the company announced on 21 October.

Bierwirth succeeds Erwin van Lambaart, who told the supervisory board in September that he would not seek an extension when his five-year contract ends in March 2027. Van Lambaart will be 64 by then. The appointment comes as Austria prepares to overhaul its gambling law and award new concessions.

A Search That Ended Inside the Group

In the company announcement, the company said the supervisory board launched an international search led by a recruitment firm after van Lambaart's decision. A broad field of candidates produced what the release calls a clear recommendation. Bierwirth has spent the past year as the group's Chief Transformation Officer.

ÖBAG board member Edith Hlawati said Bierwirth has all the qualities needed to lead the group through challenging times. She added that his year in the transformation role means he knows the challenges ahead, and that he has previously steered established companies through the shift to competitive markets (translated from German).

I am very convinced by this decision.

A Two-Person Board and the Concession Battle

Once van Lambaart's contract ends, the management board will have two members: Bierwirth and Martin Škopek. Hlawati said Bierwirth will lead the group together with Škopek. Supervisory board president Robert Zadrazil thanked van Lambaart for the group's performance during his tenure and said the company is well placed for future challenges.

Zadrazil also said the group has a solid financial base and has pushed its digital transformation forward. Hlawati credited van Lambaart with preparing the group for the coming regulatory changes and the opening of the online market, a point that matters as the concession process approaches.

Allwyn chief executive Robert Chvatal also commented in the release. He said he looks forward to working with Bierwirth, an experienced manager who he believes will drive the group's next decisive steps with a strong entrepreneurial focus. Allwyn said it shares the same commitment to responsible gaming and to Austria (translated from German).

Allwyn is a shareholder in Casinos Austria, which is why its chief executive features in the release. For background on the group, see our report on the Allwyn and OPAP tie-up. The release does not give a timetable for the concession award itself, so the date on which Bierwirth faces that decision remains open.

The statement credits van Lambaart with a very positive development of Casinos Austria and Österreichische Lotterien over his term. It does not detail Bierwirth's earlier career beyond his year as Chief Transformation Officer, and it does not say whether further changes to the management board are planned.

For players and the wider market, the change is mainly about continuity. Both companies keep their existing leadership structure until March 2027, and the new chief will take over just as the regulatory changes and the opening of the online market that the supervisory board referred to start to bite.