There is also a risk that, because they are illegal, these websites will be blocked in Australia when identified. This means you may not be able to log in from Australia and access your existing account. These services sometimes refuse to return deposits or pay winnings to the customer. As the services are operating illegally, there is little recourse for Australian customers.

About the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (Cth) (IGA)

We’ve listed our top AUS poker sites and the legalities surrounding them elsewhere in this guide. You can make a complaint to ACMA if you think a website offers illegal gambling services. Many sites exist in countries where gambling laws offer little protection to gamblers. Even in countries where better consumer laws and regulation exist, pursuing a complaint from Australia is likely to be difficult and expensive. One of the goals of regulating online poker in Australia was to promote healthy, responsible gaming practices, which we support and share with all our players as affiliates.

The National Self-Exclusion Register for online wagering, or BetStop, provides individuals, particularly those who may be vulnerable to harm, the opportunity to self-exclude themselves from betting. The short answer is yes, but you’ll need to check the banking suite at each gambling site. Some sites do, https://asinocasino.live/bonuses in fact, allow Australian players to deposit and withdraw in AUD, but not all of them. For other complaints about licensed providers, contact the relevant state licensing authority.

Free Access

Instead, it is illegal for unlicensed online poker companies to provide online gambling services. Generally, the amendment is designed to prohibit and regulate interactive gambling services. In a move to protect problem gamblers, the federal government tightened restrictions on offshore operators who operate online gambling services in Australia. Now, gambling operators are required to hold a licence under an Australian State or Territory.

Let us know your thoughts about the new changes on poker players and online poker providers by tagging us at #lawpath or @lawpath. However, as has happened with other bans around the world, these did not reduce the appetite of players to join the tables, so international offshore sites continue to provide their services in the Oceanic country, assuming the risks that this implies. The World Series of Poker app is a free-to-play online poker game that offers poker players the chance to online poker from almost anywhere for free. The official app of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is rich with features and has dozens of ways to boost your coins balance. Although no real money changes hands, PokerStars Play gives you the experience of playing online poker at PokerStars or playing games in the PokerStars Casino using play money. As there is no money to be won, PokerStars Play is available around the world.

Senet also assist our clients with additional services required to establish operations in Australia including amongst other things, assistance with the identification of local directors, advice in relation to Trade Marks www.qld.gov.au and advice in relation to Australian employment laws. And they all have tools you can use to help control how much you spend on gambling. Find out more about this and see the list of currently blocked illegal gambling websites on the ACMA website.

The Interactive Gambling Act (Cth) was passed in 2001 to regulate all online gambling in Australia. Basically, it sets restrictions on online gambling and iGaming, such as casino gambling, by targeting online poker providers. In summary the Act makes it illegal for domestic and foreign companies without an Australian licence from marketing or providing online poker to Australians. Then, in 2017, after an extensive legislative process, the Australian parliament approved the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill, which meant the exit of all the major gambling operators in Australia because, in a few words, online poker was banned.

CoinPoker, the largest cryptocurrency poker site in the world, is backed by Tony G and has a large group of sponsored professional players. It has active tables of NLH and PLO (including the exciting 5-card variant), multi-table tournaments, and Spin & Go, as well as being the home of nosebleeds games with the highest stakes you can find online in Australia. Our team has thoroughly evaluated the online poker market in Australia to bring our players an updated list of the safest poker rooms, which we will review below. A list of the best free online poker sites can be found right here on PokerNews.

History of Online Poker in Australia

As is the case with any service you can access online, convenience is one of the nicest perks of mobile poker apps. Being able to enjoy real money poker gambling from the convenience of your computer or mobile device adds an unparalleled benefit that brick-and-mortar poker rooms cannot compete with. This appeals to the players who don’t have access to legal local poker gambling where they live or who don’t have the time or resources to visit these destinations.

Retail Wagering is offered by state and territory-based totalisator agency boards (TABs) pursuant to sole licences in the relevant state or territory, thereby providing them with a form of ‘retail exclusivity’. There is co-mingling of state and territory totalisator pools through pooling arrangements, with three Australian totalisator pools currently in existence. Retail operations are typically conducted using authorised agents and licensing distribution arrangements. In relation to hotels and clubs, a venue requires both a gaming venue licence and also a permit/licence for each gaming machine a venue operates.

Sites based outside Australia are acting illegally if they offer you gambling. State and territory taxes on gaming machine revenue are complicated and vary significantly. By way of example, in Vic, where average revenue per gaming machine is greater than AUS $12,500 per month, the tax rate is 60.67%. The authors also note that the NICC issued The Star Sydney with a show cause notice in September 2024 after a report found that it was not fit to hold a licence.

The world of Australian online poker players changed forever in 2017 when the authorities banned online poker. This makes choosing the best poker sites for locals a complex process requiring a lot of experience to ensure the games are safe and profitable. There are comprehensive federal, state and territory advertising restrictions that apply to the lawful advertising of gambling services. In addition to the compulsory responsible gambling messages and warnings, it is an offence to advertise an inducement to open a betting account or to refer another person to open a betting account and, in some jurisdictions, to gamble or to gamble more frequently.

• Corporate Bookmakers are commonly licensed in the NT, whereas On-course Bookmakers (which may have online operations) are licensed in the relevant state or territory.
• If it is registered in Australia, it is bound by Australian laws and protections and you have redress to Australian laws if you have a dispute with the gambling company.
• In relation to hotels and clubs, a venue requires both a gaming venue licence and also a permit/licence for each gaming machine a venue operates.
• All licences are subject to strict restrictions as set out in the relevant legislation and also, typically, separate licence conditions and agreements with the licensing bodies.
• There is no prescribed maximum number of licences that can be issued; however, in a practical sense there are limitations in respect of the number of On-course Bookmaker Licences that could be issued.
• In addition, a series of federal statutes also cover certain aspects of gambling activity throughout Australia.

Other regulatory action has been taken for responsible gambling, advertising-related and other matters. Virtual currencies are not currently used as a real-money alternative for gambling in Australia by any of the major operator licence holders. In August 2022, the NTRWC commenced a consultation with licensees in relation to a proposed regulatory framework permitting customer betting with cryptocurrency but, at the time of writing, the outcomes of that consultation have not been released. Notwithstanding the ongoing consideration by gambling regulators including the NTRWC, AUSTRAC regulates digital/virtual currencies as involving ‘designated services’.

In conclusion, online poker has been banned in Australia for almost a decade, during which the presence of poker sites such as Ignition Poker or CoinPoker has been consolidated, providing their services without interruption to locals. Whilst federal, state and territory laws and regulations are often capable of being contravened by directors and other officers of licensees, recent regulatory action has been taken against corporate licensees only. As regulation tightens, it is possible that this will change going forward and that directors and other officers will be actively pursued in relation to alleged breaches of relevant gambling and related laws.