Are Online Casinos Legal in Australia?

Overseas-based online casinos that target Australian residents are explicitly prohibited under the IGA, with significant civil penalties attached. You can complain to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) if you find believe an online website is offering illegal gambling services. While we focus on fun, we never forget our responsibilities.

For lotteries, online services are provided by NSW Lotteries and Tatts. For placing bets on racing and sports, online providers include TAB, Ladbrokes, neds, Sportsbet, Unibet and bet365. Both groups used a model banned by almost every jurisdiction in the world, apart from Macau.

This offence also carries a maximum penalty of 5000 penalty units, applicable each day the unlawful service is provided. Online casinos are banned in Australia due to concerns around losing your money and money laundering. Any online gambling in Australia must be licensed and registered which ensures that it is bound by Australian laws and protections. This also ensures that you have an avenue via Australian laws in the event of a dispute with the service provider. Under section 15 of the Act it is an offence for a person to intentionally provide a prohibited interactive gambling service with an Australian-customer link.

Its suitability was https://www.paragonesdp.com/games/10-best-australian-online-casinos-2025/ only restored in April 2024 after cultural and governance reforms. Regulatory changes over the past five years have also contributed to the decline of casinos. Dr Russell also commented on the latest reforms, which he described as largely tokenistic and pushed through because the government was desperate to be seen “taking action”.

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A lottery can be authorised by making an application to NSW Fair Trading. Under section 6 of the Act, it is an offence to conduct a public lottery without lawful authority. Most jurisdictions focus their regulation on the authorisation of providers for online and offline betting and lottery services. We may be big, a global games and technology leader, but we are still a family at heart.

• For placing bets on racing and sports, online providers include TAB, Ladbrokes, neds, Sportsbet, Unibet and bet365.
• Several online casinos registered in Curaçao have been issued warnings by Australia’s media regulator, ACMA, for illegally targeting Australians.
• Find information on upcoming VGCCC hearings, including gaming machine applications, disciplinary actions, and casino exclusion appeals.
• Under section 15 of the Act it is an offence for a person to intentionally provide a prohibited interactive gambling service with an Australian-customer link.

Casinos track play, offering player activity statements and greater oversight. He argues that the responsibility is back on the government to revamp the casino sector, given the fact demographics have shifted from young people enjoying a night out to a much older client base in recent times. “In most countries, casinos are on the outskirts of town,” Thomas explains. “It’s very unusual to find in other countries, a landmark kind of building in the heart of the CBD. And if they’re in danger of failing, you have white elephants that governments feel obliged to bail out and keep going.

Manpower Australia

On the other hand, casino-style games and live sports wagering are not legal in Australia, even if you can access them on overseas websites. Make sure you understand the additional risks of gambling on overseas websites. It’s risky, it’s illegal, and it’s important to know how to protect yourself.

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The penalties for organising an unlawful lottery include 50 penalty units and/or 12 month imprisonment for a first offence, or 100 penalty units and/or 2 years imprisonment for a second or subsequent offence. Since 2020, businesses in Curaçao pay no tax on income derived from overseas customers — for an online casino, that is almost all of it. Australian gambling statistics is a comprehensive set of statistics related to gambling in Australia covering the entire range of legalised Australian gambling products. The publication has been produced since 1984 and is compiled annually by the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office in co-operation with all Australian state and territory governments.

These products are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. You are free to copy, communicate and adapt the work as long as you attribute the authors. To attribute this work cite Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, Queensland Treasury, Australian gambling statistics, 40th edition. Despite these enforcement measures, many overseas operators continue to target Australian players, often exploiting legal loopholes or operating from jurisdictions with lax regulatory oversight.