Gambling Regulations in Australia 2026

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Although there’s a decline in CAGR of 7.6% from 2019 to 2023, the lotteries industry reached a revenue of AU$20.17 billion in 2023. The industry has grown to the point where it generates billions of dollars in annual revenue for the Australian economy. The NT government ensures that the state receives taxes from all legal gambling forms.
ACMA has publicly reported hundreds of blocked gambling domains since website blocking powers became active. The answer depends on the product, the provider, the licence, and whether the question is about the operator’s conduct or the user’s access. It is not usually framed as a law that criminalises an individual user for visiting an offshore website. The key distinction is between land-based gambling and interactive gambling.
As part of the 2025–26 budget reforms, the Northern Territory government doubled the cap to 2 million revenue units from 1 July 2025. The review was completed in August 2025 and found SkyCity to be suitable to hold South Australia’s only casino licence. Its licences in relation to The Treasury Brisbane and The Star Gold Coast were suspended on a deferred basis, a significant fine was imposed and a special manager (the same as appointed to oversee The Star Sydney) was appointed for 12 months.
Slots are also permitted in clubs and hotels in all states and territories (except Western Australia) under the relevant legislation. The federal government released an Issues Paper in July 2024 to seek feedback to assist the government in understanding the impact of keno-type lotteries and foreign-matched lottery products and their gambling harm risks. Accordingly, online lotteries may be conducted legally as a “regulated interactive gambling service” when offered by an operator that holds a licence granted by an Australian state or territory. However, in accordance with the principles established in the IGA, Australian states and territories separately regulate online gambling in their respective jurisdictions under the relevant legislation. It is, therefore, important for an operator to review the applicable legislation and the regulator’s policy in each state and territory when considering whether it is legal or permitted to offer skill games. Sports bookmakers licensed in the Northern Territory are permitted to take bets on certain esports official tournaments and/or competitions.
From 22 September 2024, in accordance with amendments made to the Guidelines for the Classification of Computer Games (the “Guidelines”), computer games containing loot boxes or simulated gambling (including social casinos) are subject to mandatory classification requirements. Subject to the parliamentary process, the NZ online pokies australia instant withdrawal Casino Bill is anticipated to come into effect on 1 May 2026, while the online casino licences will be issued with effect from 1 December 2026. On 19 August 2025, the VGCCC announced that it had formally censured Crown Melbourne for breaching mandatory pre-commitment rules on its poker machines. A report on the outcome of the review is expected to be provided to the Minister of Communications in early 2026 and will subsequently be tabled in Federal Parliament. The implementation and effectiveness of BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register is under review.
Gavin Fineff, a financial advisor, had extensive bets and misappropriated over AU$8 million. Ladbrokes failed to check the source of money and offered bonuses worth AU$528,890 to Gavin Fineff. Below are the listed gambling offenses and their penalties and years of imprisonment. Corporations involved in any illegal activities will receive the same fines and imprisonment. The table below shows the penalties for gambling-related offenses in Western Australia.
From a player perspective, the key issue is whether the platform can be trusted with personal documents, deposits, winnings, and responsible gambling controls. From a compliance perspective, the core issue is whether the operator is providing a restricted interactive gambling service to people in Australia. In other words, the legal risk profile is different for the operator and the user.
Legislation prohibits bets being taken by a Corporate Bookmaker on the outcome of a lottery (that is, ‘synthetic lotteries’). For operational and risk reasons, other gambling sector participants (e.g. land-based casinos) do not permit the use of cryptocurrency for gambling. The use of digital currencies (including cryptocurrency) for gambling purposes is not common in the jurisdiction and, in the case of online wagering and betting, was expressly prohibited following amendments to the Interactive Gambling Act in 2024.
The industry continues to grow, with online betting as the primary contributor, reaching AU$9.09 billion in revenue in 2023. 🔹 Regulated by the federal government through the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. On the other hand, pubs and clubs are spread throughout the country, with over 7,298 operational, an increase of 3% from 2023.