Online gambling statistics in Australia shows that about 80% of Australian adults gamble at online casino at least once a year. More than 7 million Australians – about 40% of adult population regularly spend their money on at least one type of gambling activity every month. The average age of an active player is 39. As a rule, these are men with an annual income of around $90,000. All this makes the whole region very attractive for the renewed online gambling business.

1. Online Gambling Australia
2. Play Online Casino In Australia
3. Online Casino Laws Australia 2020
4. Online Casino License Australia
5. Online Casino Laws Australia Coronavirus

Although Australian law prohibits online gambling in the country, you, as a player, will not get in trouble for gambling at offshore online casinos. The casino you are playing at could get in trouble, but – as a player - you are safe from any prosecution. The fact that there are countless of online casinos Australia popping up every day means that at any point in the day, any person has access to online gambling. As long as you have a device that can connect to the internet, you can play at these online casinos whenever it is convenient to you. No longer do you have to leave the house to gamble.

The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 It's illegal to provide some interactive gambling activities, such as 'online casinos', to someone in Australia. Examples include. Players need to look for safe online casinos in Western Australia. They should be licenced with a reputable third party. The number of gambling games and software developers can help players determine if a casino site is a good online casino or not. You can easily find Crown Casino online slots for real money games from our top AU casino websites.

Australia is only 0.3% of the world’s population. Moreover, online gambling in Australia in 2021 hosts 6% of the world’s slot machines and 18% of poker. In terms of the number of pokies per person, Australia ranks on a par with the casino countries: Monaco, the Caribbean, and Macau.

Laws and Gambling Regulations in Australia

Is online gambling illegal in Australia? The answer is partially. The Interactive Gambling Act (2001) was adopted by the Commonwealth Parliament on June 28, 2001. This gambling legislation in Australia was approved on July 11, 2001.

The gambling legislation targets online gambling operators, making it legal to offer interactive “real money” gambling to Australian residents. It also prohibits online gambling providers from advertising “real money” online gambling services (such as casinos and online poker) to all Australian citizens. That being said, the amount spent by Australians on online gaming reached about $1200 million by 2015, according to the Australian government’s official 2015 performance report.

Accessing and using online casino services is not a crime. Australia-based companies are also allowed to offer their gaming services to players located outside Australia, except for those countries which are called “designated countries”.

Besides, certain concessions are offered in some states. In particular, Western Australia recently removes a ban on the organization of gambling onboard casino liners.

A special system of protection against gambling addiction has been developed for local users. The new provisions are planned to be legalized at the national level. The Australian government has reached agreement on most of the points.

Player Protection

In 2021 was implemented a law that will create a self-exclusion register in Australia. Such a measure would close a clear gap in player protection. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will oversee the implementation of the program. Thanks to it, anyone who wants to limit themselves from gambling can do that for a certain period.

Even best online gambling sites will be subject to fines if the security rules are violated. Other countries, in particular Switzerland and Germany, are taking similar measures today. The self-exclusion system, according to experts, is an integral element of a healthy gambling market.

That said, concerns about problem of addiction are not unfounded. An LSAC study found that adolescents in Australia have reported addictive behaviors. The results show that one in six minors aged 16-17 has experienced gambling. Boys more often than girls try such entertainments. Among the adult group of respondents, a greater interest in gambling prevails among men.

Not only the UK has its own approach to protecting players and provide safe online gambling, where the GambleAware program is actively moving forward and constantly being developed. Together with experts from China and the UK, Australian scientists have created an interactive method test, thanks to which anyone can determine whether they are addicted to gambling or not. By answering only 18 questions, you can find out the degree of addiction on a five-point scale.

Tax Policy

Player winnings in Australia are tax-deductible. There are 3 main reasons for this statement:

• Playing at the casino is not considered a profession; it is seen as a hobby or entertainment;
• The Australian government views gambling profits not as income but as a result of luck. Even if someone gamble and wins big money, they also lose a lot in other gaming sessions.
• Instead, the government is taxing gambling operators.

Review shows that taxation of gambling providers in Australia differs from state to state so much and different services in the country are taxed differently. There are taxes on player loss, turnover and net income. Since gambling operators must be licensed to offer their gambling services, and certain fees must be paid at this stage in the development of the casino business.

The use of different tax rates and bases makes it pretty difficult to compare taxation across all the states. But there are clear figures for all online casino providers in every Australian state.

Playing Pokies and Casino Games Online

Online gambling activity in Australia is federally regulated. In 2001, the Commonwealth Parliament passed the Interactive Gambling Act, which is the same for the country.

Online gambling business is also divided into several massive categories:

• casino games: roulette, blackjack, craps, poker, and others;
• slot machines;
• jackpot games;
• lotteries, keno, bingo;
• sports betting.

The online gambling laws allow online casino services. However, the online casino provider must be registered within the Australian legislation. At the same time, it is allowed to accept customers from other countries where the business is legalized. Games are available for desktop, smartphones and laptops. Players can use common banking methods.

Online Gambling Australia

Online gambling reviews shows that the increased interest of local people in online casinos and the tireless work of the experts to improve legislation are factors that testify to the development of the casino business in Australia. Despite discussions about the advisability of expanding the casino industry and making requirements for business owners stricter, the Australian online market attracts a lot of international gambling sites.

Gambling News

Australia, due to quarantine measures aimed against the coronavirus, has increased interest in online gambling. According to the consulting company AlphaBeta, online betting turnover grew by 67% during the closure of land-based casinos.

Play Online Casino In Australia

The gambling market in Australia is estimated at 15 billion Australian dollars, and, according to experts, a significant part of this amount moves to the online segment. Since the country has several restrictions on the activities of online operators, experts believe that offshore operators will benefit from the current situation.

It should also be noted that during the Covid-19 pandemic in Australia, in addition to casinos, other entertainment venues, including bars, were also closed, which led to a 33% increase in sales in stores of alcohol and cigarettes.

In recent years, the Australian government has tightened laws around gambling, particularly online gambling through the introduction of the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill in 2016. While these changes help to protect players from unlicensed online casinos, they have caused some confusion amongst Australian players about what casino games they can still legally enjoy online.

This post explains how online poker rules have changed, explores the gambling industry in both the UK and Australia, as well as identifying how the industry has adapted and how Australian citizens can continue to play their favourite casino games online.

Differences between the gambling industry in the UK and Australia

Playing casino games has long been a popular pastime in both the UK and Australia, with the industry having a significant contribution to both of their economies. In Australia, gambling is regulated by The Australian Communications and Media Authority and in the UK, it is overseen by The Gambling Commission. Both countries have extensive gambling regulations to help protect its users, and while Australia’s interactive gambling laws may have become more restrictive, there are still a wide range of online games and websites available to players.

Online Casino Laws Australia 2020

In the UK, gross gambling yield is around £11.3 billion. In comparison, Australia’s gross gambling yield is around £14.1 billion, with an average spend of $916 per person, per year. Playing with physical machines, known as pokies, proved to be more popular than online gaming in Australia. Interestingly, it has been reported that there are more ‘pokies’ in New South Wales than there are Koala Bears living in the whole of Australia. These machines are regular features in hotels, clubs and casinos.

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These figures suggest that, as the UK’s population is nearly three times the size of Australia’s, Australians spend considerably more on average on gambling than their UK counterparts. This may be due to gambling being a part of the countries entertainment heritage, with a culture of acceptance and gambling availability having developed over the decades.

Online Casino Laws Australia Coronavirus

Recent changes to Australian gambling laws and regulations

Originally introduced in 2001, the Interactive Gambling Act banned Australian websites from offering products to Australian customers. Due to the policies wording, offshore companies were exempt and as a result more money was being spent overseas.

The Interactive Gambling Bill was amended in 2016 to prevent loopholes such as this from being exploited by some gambling sites. Under these latest reforms, it is now illegal for all prohibited or unlicensed online gambling products to be offered to Australian consumers by either domestic or offshore companies.

However, it is important to note that the Bill does not penalise Australian citizens, instead it imposes fines of up to $1.1 million for companies breaking its rules. Individuals placing bets at an online casino will not receive a fine or face legal action.

Types of gambling including auto-racing, sports betting and online lotteries are still perfectly legal and are allowed to be played online, providing that betting is not done in-game.

Ways Australians can still play

Interest is games such as poker continues to be widespread in Australia, spurred on by the increased broadcasting of live casino tournaments and televised poker events. More than 80% of adults in the country enjoy some form of gambling. Despite the new interactive gambling regulations, there are still many online casino sites accepting Australian players.

Both practice modes and real money options are on offer, ensuring that casino games can be enjoyed by just-for-fun players and experienced professionals alike. As in the UK, winnings from poker are not taxed in Australia, so serious players of online poker games can take advantage those who are less experienced, without worrying about losing some of their winnings!

Practice games give users the chance to prepare their pattern identifying techniques, familiarise themselves with tournament structures and try out different games and formats. Deciding to go all-in is a much less nerve-wracking decision when your actual money is not at stake.

Some players have resorted to using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) hide their location and access online casinos no longer available to them. Some have also made use of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin as Australian currency is no longer accepted. Using a VPN is discouraged as it is likely to go against user agreements and websites are finding ways of identifying and preventing this. Casino enthusiasts should remember that these regulations are not in place to put an end all gambling, instead they are there to hold online casinos accountable for their conduct and protect the interests of their consumers.

New interactive gambling regulations have posed significant challenges to both online casinos and the Australian customers who enjoy them. However, the industry is continuing to adapt to these changes. With list of online gambling websites available to citizens of Australia ever expanding, players are gaining more and more choice and game diversity.