Online Gambling in Australia

Online gambling has experienced massive growth and expansions to many, many countries throughout the world, but even though more countries are moving forward with their intentions to legalize online gambling, the regulations are getting stricter and stricter.

This is precisely due to the accessibility of gambling via the internet. Regulators are putting their best efforts in order to make operators and players practice responsible gambling, but since there are many who do not, the watchdogs’ job is to restrict or put an end to gambling.

Interactive Gambling in Australia

Australia is one of those countries where gambling has received many blows over the years. Once, Australia was amongst those countries where gambling was a normal thing, and you could see so many sports betting, online casino and bingo sites. Bingo was particularly popular among Aussies. But two years ago, in 2017, Australian players were the ones who received a major blow when giant software developers like NetEnt, Playtech and Microgaming started withdrawing their games from all Australian regions. This was due to the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill which banned in-play sports betting, credit betting and non-betting gambling products like poker and online casino games.

Consequently, many international operators who have used to offer their online casino operations to Aussies via their locally registered headquarters started selling their Australian units and abandoning the Australian gambling scene.

This left Australian players with no offshore operators. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) started warning offshore operators and software developers that if they continue providing Australian players unlicensed or prohibited gambling services, they will be breaching Australian law so ACMA will take enforcement actions, such as $8 million penalties. Therefore, over 50% of offshore operators withdrew from the Australian gambling market between 2017 and 2018, and the other half followed.

But is there a chance to gamble in Australia after all? Since the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill targeted only offshore casinos, can Australian operators offer their gambling operations to Aussie players? As it turns out, no. No Australian online casino holds a license for online casino gambling offerings. However, don’t lose hope, since there are several operators who can provide you with their online gambling services via the currently regulated sportsbooks.

Sports Betting in Australia

The Interactive Gambling Act, however, does not forbid lotteries, racing and sports betting. The Act allows these forms of gambling, and this is something that as an Aussie player you can take advantage of since it is the only way for you to place a bet currently. In-play sports betting is, however, the only form of sports betting that is not legal.

Even though there are restrictions on which companies may offer these gambling services, there are several major operators who offer their sportsbooks in Australia.

The local sportsbooks, adhering to the Act, do not allow in-play betting, however, many international sites allow it, either without being aware of the Act or because they are simply ignoring it. The benefit of playing at these international sites is that most of them also offer online casino games for which you may or may not be restricted from playing.

Bookmakers like Bet365, Betfair and Unibet, for instance, are very popular amongst Australian players. That because one of them is UK-based, one Malta-based and one is even Australia-based. In addition, all three hold an Australian gambling license by the Northern Territory Government. These bookmakers allow in-play betting via phone and online, give you great betting and side games selection. They also have an impeccable interface.

What’re things to consider when Choosing a Good Australian Online Gambling Site?

All three of the aforementioned bookmarkers, obviously, hold an Australian betting license. However, they also hold licenses by respected gambling regulators. Such as the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority. The fact that they hold licenses by these watchdogs only further proves that they are legit online gambling sites. Ones you can truly trust.

But there are other things you need to consider when choosing a good online gambling site to play at if you’re an Australian citizen. You need to, first and foremost, ensure that the site is highly secured. You need to check whether it implements an SSL encryption. That makes sure all the sensitive data, bank transactions, in particular, is transferred safely online.

One way to check for that is to look at the bottom of the casino’s homepage. Look for a lock logo which says SSL encrypted. Another way is to check the casino’s Security or Terms and Conditions sections and look for information there. And finally, the fastest way is to look at the website’s address bar. If there is a Secure written in green letters in front of the URL, the casino is encrypted.