Fans of online gambling will need to reconsider their options after new legislation were passed in Australia last week.
On March 20, the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 was passed by the House of Representatives, with changes to the existing laws set by the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA) about to make things a whole lot more risky for Aussie punters.
Until recently, loopholes in Australia’s online gambling laws have meant that Aussies were free to gamble at online casinos, provided the casino is licensed and located outside of our borders. The IGA Amendment Bill has been implemented to close those loopholes once and for all, with the new laws now clearly stating that online gambling operators are prohibited from offering services to Australian players unless they hold a license from an Australian state or territory.
Interestingly, Australian states and territories are not legally authorised to issue online casino licenses, so the Amendment Bill essentially makes it illegal for Aussies to play at any online casino, whether it is legally licensed by a reputable offshore gambling jurisdiction or not.
This is where things have the potential to get dangerous, as it is highly unlikely the new laws will do much to turn online casino enthusiasts away from the Web. The Amendment Bill puts a focus on the casino operators and gaming providers themselves, and does not introduce any penalties for Australian residents found to be gambling at unlicensed casino sites. Given the widespread use of VPN (virtual private network) services which allow players to get around region-restrictions, it seems safe to assume that many Australians will ignore the IGA amendments and continue to play games like the pokies, blackjack, roulette and poker for real money online.
The risk comes from the fact that the most highly certified and regulated casino vendors are the ones who will pull out of the Australian market, whereas the cowboy operators who already run outside of the law will ignore the IGA amendments completely and continue to welcome Aussie players.
With many of the leading online casinos banning Australian players, Aussies who enjoy a casual punt on their favourite casino game are now more likely to turn to an unregulated, unlicensed offshore casino to place a bet. This leaves them vulnerable to dodgy practices, unsafe payment methods, unsecured sites and exposed to gaming software that is not audited for fairness by a trusted industry regulator like eCOGRA.
The Australian government has cited gambling addiction as one of the major reasons for banning online casinos – hypocrisy at its finest as there continues to be 24 hour pokie machines and table games found in a majority of Australia’s capital cities. It seems the government would have been better off taking a leaf from the UK’s book and regulating the online gambling market instead, providing a boost to Australia’s economy while providing a safe and controlled space for Aussies to participate in one of the country’s most popular pastimes. Instead, players insistent on gambling online will now turn to unregulated offshore sites where they are at more risk than ever.
Introduction of the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill in September 2017
To update our previous story, the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill was officially introduced on September 13, 2017. As mentioned above, the Bill remains focused on the casino operators themselves, with the government yet to release any information suggesting that players who continue to frequent online casinos will be punished in any way. While this significantly lowers the choices for Aussie punters who will continue to play at online casinos, there are still plenty of offshore-based casino operators licensed by legitimate jurisdictions who have made it clear they intent to continue to service the Australian market, including:
Online casinos still accepting Aussies
Following news of the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill official implementation, several major players were quick to pull out of the market, including our previously endorsed brands like 32Red, Royal Vegas, Slots Million and Leo Vegas. Major software developers like Microgaming and Net Entertainment have also blocked their games from Aussie players at multi-provider casino site that continues to accept Australian players.
Only time will tell which operators chose to stay or leave the Australian market and whether the government will go after any of these operators or begin to issue Australian casino licenses. Our writers at AustralianCasinoSite.com will be following the news closely as new developments emerge, so bookmark our page for easy access to all the latest updates regarding the new online gambling laws, latest casino bonuses and how they will effect you.