Interactive gambling

Gambling services broadly fit into three categories:

  • Wagering (or betting) services, e.g. betting on racing and sports;
  • Lotteries, e.g. Keno; and
  • Gaming, e.g. casino style games.

A gambling service is considered “interactive” if it is provided on broadcasting, datacasting, telephone, and online platforms.

The Interactive Gambling Act 2001(IGA) is the primary Commonwealth legislation regulating the types of interactive gambling services that can be provided to persons located in Australia.

Under the IGA, it is an offence to:

  • provide a prohibited interactive gambling service to customers in Australia.
  • provide an unlicensed regulated interactive gambling service to customers in Australia.
  • provide an Australian-based interactive gambling service to customers in designated countries.

Prohibited interactive gambling services include casino-style games such as online blackjack and roulette, and pokies or slot machines.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) maintains a list of all licensed interactive gambling providers that are permitted to operate in Australia. These services must comply with the consumer protections outlined in the IGA.

The ACMA also administers a website blocking scheme to protect Australians against illegal offshore gambling websites. The ACMA maintains a list of all blocked gambling websites.

If you believe a prohibited gambling activity is being offered or advertised over the internet to people in Australia, you make a complaint to the ACMA using its online complaint form.

Online Gambling Inquiry

On 28 June 2023 the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs published the final report to its inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm (Online Gambling Inquiry).

The Government is closely considering all 31 recommendations from the Online Gambling Inquiry and will release a comprehensive response in due course.

Online Keno and Foreign matched lotteries review

The Australian Government is currently conducting a review into the regulation of online keno and foreign matched lotteries under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (Cth).

The investigation accepts a 12 October 2023 recommendation by the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications in its review of the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Credit and Other Measures) Bill 2023. The Committee recommended that the Bill be passed and that the Government undertake a review over the next 12 months into the regulation of keno-type lotteries.

The Department conducted a targeted consultation with stakeholders and is currently considering submissions from harm minimisation advocates, community and charity peak bodies, academics, the States and Territories, Commonwealth agencies, newsagents, the lottery and wagering industries.

The Department intends to provide its review findings to the Minister for Communications in December 2024.

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