Laws Regulating Online Casinos in Australia

Despite being one of the leading gambling nations in the world, Australia has countless online casino laws and regulations set up to monitor the country's online gambling space. Although each state has its own set of regulations, the Interactive Gaming Act oversees all online casino operations. The act has four main components.

Offering ''real-money'' Interactive Games is Illegal

All online casinos, whether they are based and licensed in Australia or offshore, may not offer real-money interactive games to Australians. These games include the likes of poker, blackjack, and various other card and table games. However, local gambling sites may offer their services to residents in other parts of the world, so long as they are not from ''designated countries''. A fine of $220 000 per day is imposed on virtual casino operators who deliberately ignore this regulation.

One thing to note about this regulation is that it doesn't prevent Aussie players from gambling online. Although they may play online casino games on offshore websites, they may also do so on local gambling sites. It's the gambling operators' responsibility to ensure that they aren't offering their services to Australians.

Wagering Online

Contrary to popular belief, not all form of online gambling is illegal in Australia. Locals may participate in online sports betting, but certain conditions have to be met. For starters, all websites allowing locals to place wagers on sports outcomes have to be licensed, and they have to comply with state laws, territorial laws, as well as other regulations set out by the Interactive Gaming Act.

The Interactive Gaming Act is against all forms of interactive gambling. Due to this, sports betting sites need to ensure that their bets aren't interactive. In other words, they may not involve ''in-game'' bets, therefore, all wagers have to be placed before the beginning of a particular sport.

Online lottery is also legal, as long as it's done under the same conditions as virtual sports betting.

Online Casino Laws on Advertising Games

In addition to not offering their services to Australians, online casinos may also not advertise these services to locals. This includes all forms of advertisement such as in-app, web-based, and land-based ads. Since it's not illegal for local web-based casino operators to attract offshore players, they may advertise their games to their foreign audience. To promote their websites legitimately, operators have to follow a series of codes and regulations regarding gambling ads. One of these codes is the Broadcast Industry Code.

Taxes

Locals aren't taxed on their deposits, withdrawals or winnings, because gambling isn't regarded as a profession. Instead, the government levies high tax rates on virtual casino operators. The tax rates may vary depending on the region in which the gambling site is licensed.

It's evident that Australian-based online casinos operate in a strictly monitored environment. However, this doesn't prevent locals from gambling as they please. In fact, Australia is among the top gambling nation, with the average local punter spending a minimum of AUD 1250 annually on gambling sites.