🇦🇺Australia gambling regulation

Legal framework at a glance

Gambling in Australia is regulated by both the Commonwealth and the states and territories. The Commonwealth’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA) sets out which interactive gambling services may be offered to people in Australia, while states and territories license land-based gambling, wagering operators and lotteries.

The IGA prohibits offering online casino games, online poker, online slots and in-play online sports betting to Australians. Online wagering on racing and sport (placed before an event starts), and online lottery sales, are permitted when provided by operators licensed in an Australian state or territory.

The regulators

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) enforces the IGA, investigates illegal offshore services, maintains the register of blocked websites and runs BetStop. State and territory regulators license and supervise operators, including the Northern Territory Racing and Wagering Commission, which licenses many online bookmakers. State casino regulators oversee land-based casinos.

Licensing

Online wagering providers must hold a licence from a state or territory, most commonly the Northern Territory, and register with ACMA. Lotteries are licensed by states. No Australian licence permits online casino or poker to Australians. See gambling licensing models.

Product	Online status
Online casino and slots	Prohibited
Online poker	Prohibited
Sports and racing wagering (pre-event)	Licensed
In-play online sports betting	Prohibited (phone betting allowed)
Lotteries	Licensed

Taxation

States and territories levy point-of-consumption taxes on wagering by their residents, regardless of where the bookmaker is licensed. Rates and thresholds are set by each state and have generally risen in recent years. Players’ winnings are not taxed. See gambling taxation compared.

Advertising and marketing rules

Broadcast codes restrict gambling ads during live sport and children’s viewing times, and ads must carry mandatory taglines and helpline information. In 2023 a parliamentary committee report recommended a comprehensive phased ban. On 2 April 2026 the government announced its plan: no more than three gambling ads per hour on TV between 6am and 8.30pm with none during live sport in those hours; no radio ads around school drop-off and pick-up; online ads only to logged-in adults who can opt out; and bans on celebrities, sportspeople, in-venue and uniform advertising. It tabled its full response in May 2026 and intends to legislate. See gambling advertising rules.

Player-protection requirements

Under the National Consumer Protection Framework, online wagering providers must:

• verify a customer’s identity before they can bet;
• offer deposit limits and send regular activity statements;
• use consistent responsible gambling messaging;
• not offer inducements to open accounts or lines of credit;
• integrate with BetStop.

Since June 2024, credit cards and digital currency cannot be used for online wagering. See self-exclusion in Australia and stake and deposit limits by law.

Enforcement against unlicensed operators

ACMA can issue formal warnings and civil penalties and, since 2019, has requested internet providers to block illegal gambling websites, with well over a thousand sites blocked. It also publishes the list of blocked sites so the public can check. See payment blocking and ISP blocking.

What this means for players

Australians can check whether a wagering provider is licensed by looking for its state or territory licence details and by consulting ACMA’s register of licensed interactive wagering services. Any site offering online pokies, casino table games or online poker to Australians is operating illegally, whatever licence it claims from overseas, and players have no Australian regulator to help if withdrawals are refused. ACMA publishes the list of illegal sites it has blocked.

Licensed bookmakers must close accounts of BetStop registrants, send activity statements, offer deposit limits and cannot lend money or offer credit. Bank-level gambling blocks, now offered by most major banks, add a further layer that applies to any merchant coded as gambling. See how to check if a gambling site is licensed, bank gambling blocks and sports betting risks and in-play betting.

Land-based gambling

Land-based gambling, including pokies in pubs and clubs, casinos and keno, is regulated by states and territories, which also run their own venue exclusion schemes. Reforms such as cashless gaming, mandatory pre-commitment and lower load-up limits have been introduced or trialled in some states, particularly following inquiries into casino operators. These measures sit outside the IGA and BetStop.

Getting help with a complaint

Complaints about a licensed wagering provider should go first to the provider, then to the regulator in the state or territory that licensed it, such as the Northern Territory Racing and Wagering Commission. Complaints about illegal offshore sites, or about breaches of BetStop or IGA rules, can be made to ACMA. See how to file a complaint against a gambling operator.

Recent developments and what to watch

• Advertising reform: legislation to implement the April 2026 package is expected; critics argue it stops short of a full ban.
• Offshore enforcement: the government’s response promises tougher action against illegal sites.
• Online keno and foreign-matched lotteries: governments are working on restrictions.

For support services, see the Australia help directory. This page is general information, not legal advice.