1. Gaming Legislation In South Australia
2. Australia Gaming Regulations
3. Gaming Legislation In Australia South Africa
4. Gaming Legislation In Australia Immigration
5. Gaming Legislation In Australia Fires

Money laundering and gaming (gambling) legislation. Money laundering – the process by which money that is derived from illegitimate means are given the appearance of coming from a legitimate source – is estimated to involve between $10-15 billion per year in Australia. Published under the Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002 1 South Australia. Gambling Administration Act 2019. An Act to regulate and control gambling activities in the State, to repeal the. Gambling Administration Act 1995. And for other purposes. Part 1—Preliminary. 3 Purpose and objects. Australia’s online gambling laws, specifically the Interactive Gambling Bill of 2001, prohibit casino gaming, or “interactive” gambling. While bookmakers can apply for an online license, casinos are strictly land-based operations.

Gaming law

Liquor & Gaming NSW is responsible for the implementation of government policies designed to balance sustainable business development with the need to reduce harms associated with problem gambling.

In the gaming area, L&GNSW is responsible for:

• advising in relation to the development and implementation of government policy
• ensuring compliance
• monitoring revenue collected from gaming activity
• overseeing technical standards for gaming machines

The Office of Responsible Gambling and Responsible Gambling Fund Trust is responsible for administering the Responsible Gambling Fund, which funds services for problem gamblers.

Wagering law

Wagering is regulated in NSW under the Betting and Racing Act 1998 and the Totalizator Act 1997, which prescribe:

• who may offer betting services
• the events on which betting is permitted
• requirements that betting service providers must comply with.

Liquor & Gaming NSW Telephone, Electronic and Declared Betting Event authorities

The Act provides that the Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation may authorise licensed bookmakers to conduct telephone and electronic betting at licensed racecourses (on-course) or other approved premises (off-course) approved by the relevant racing controlling body, Racing NSW, Harness Racing or Greyhound Welfare Integrity Commission.

An application for these authorities must be made to both the Racing Controlling Body AND the Minister (Liquor & Gaming NSW).

Application process

In conjunction with any application to your controlling body, an application can be made in the form of an email to the Liquor & Gaming Revenue Assurance and Integrity Unit, requesting authority to conduct telephone, electronic and/or declared events betting under the Act. Your application should be addressed to the Manager Compliance, Revenue Assurance and Integrity Unit, and contain:

• Name
• Address
• Confirmation of your status as a licensed bookmaker
• Racing controlling body who has licensed you as a bookmaker
• What authorities you are applying for
• Any additional information you see necessary

In support of your application you are also required to provide the following information (if applicable) in the form of a Statutory Declaration:

• The location you wish to conduct Telephone, Electronic and/or Declared Events Betting;
• Whether the approved office or premise is open, or available for use by, the public or a section of the public;
• Which electronic betting system will be used to facilitate betting in the on-course office or approved premises;
• Which telephone betting system will be used to facilitate betting in the on-course office or approved premises;
• Whether you will have a staff member in attendance at all relevant times, to determine and process any bet;
• Whether a website and/or an application will be used to facilitate electronic betting;
• If a website and/or application will be used to facilitate electronic betting, please provide the details of the name and web address;
• Whether the website and/or application will contain a privacy policy and code of practice and if so, could this please be provided;
• Whether the website and/or application will clearly publish guidelines regarding cancellation of bets and how that process will be managed and if so, could this please be provided;
• Whether the website and/or application will provide for the promotion of responsible wagering;
• What guarantees do you have with the NSW Bookmakers Co-operative; and
• Address any issues that might adversely affect your application or raise questions regarding integrity.

It is noted that L&GNSW may request further information throughout this process and will liaise with the relevant controlling body regarding the application.

Any betting authority issued will be subject to, but not limited to the:

• Betting and Racing Act 1998
• Totalizator Act 1997
• Betting and Racing Regulations 2012
• The Minister’s NSW Bookmaker Telephone and Electronic Betting Conditions and any further conditions imposed under 16(5) of the Act
• Any rules or conditions imposed for Declared Events Betting under Division 2 & 2A of the Act
• Any rules and conditions imposed by the relevant controlling body

Please note, the approvals of these authorities do not pertain to the approval of laying totalizator odds or dealing in totalizator tickets off a licensed racecourse (whether or not it is from an approved premise) and is an offence under section 88 of the Totalizator Act 1997. There is no exception to section 88 of the Totalizator Act 1997.

The Act provides that the Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation may authorise licensed bookmakers to conduct telephone and electronic betting at licensed racecourses or other approved premises.

The Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation can declare sports and other events as betting events in NSW. Declared events are listed in the: Schedule of Declared Betting Events and Approved Forms of Betting PDF, 274.62 KB.

This schedule forms part of the Bookmaker Declared Betting Events Betting Rules PDF, 149.52 KB.

The Betting Glossary of Terms PDF, 13.85 KB defines the various form of betting available.

In December 2015, changes were made to the application process and requirements for new declared betting events and bet types. For further information on these reforms, please see Sports wagering in NSW

Relevant Acts

Visit Legislation NSW for all Acts and Regulations.

Australia is a gambling nation. It is one of the most trafficked markets in the country through legal brick-and-mortar channels, but online gambling is a different story. This page is dedicated to explaining the full legal structure of gambling in Australia and has information on the standing laws, any amendments, the regulatory bodies in charge and more. You will learn about which gambling options are legal and which ones to avoid. Australia is a vast gambling community, but it is well regulated. Use this page as a legal resource for gambling options in Australia and our homepage as a resource for gambling laws by country.

Is Gambling Legal In Australia?

Yes, but only certain forms of gambling. Australian gambling laws were quite lenient in the past, allowing for brick-and-mortar establishments and some online gambling options. The current legal gambling framework still permits brick-and-mortar gambling, but online options are scarce due to tighter restrictions. There are explanations of the laws below.

Gambling Laws In Australia

Gaming Legislation In South Australia

Interactive Gambling Act 2001 – The Interactive Gambling Act was Australian Parliament’s way of addressing online gambling. At the time, Aussies were able to access locally based sites for real money games. Offshore gambling sites were also an option. This law targeted domestic operators and made it illegal for them to offer services to residents. It also made it an illegal offense to advertise Australian online gambling products and services locally (including all forms of media). The law permitted domestically based online sites to offer services to ‘designated countries,’ but not local citizens. The only form of domestic online wagering allowed was sports betting through a local service. You can find more information on our Interactive Gambling Act 2001 page.

Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 – Australian gambling laws remained the same for more than a decade. It wasn’t until 2016 that changes were made. These changes came through the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016. The new IGA tightened restrictions on online gambling by banning almost all digital gambling forms, no matter if they are licenced offshore or not. The amendment also ceased all gambling advertisements during sporting events. Any online operator wishing to do business in Australia must obtain a licence through the proper regulatory channels. In-play betting was another target of this bill and made it illegal for local punters to participate in. Learn more about the specifics of this law on our Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 page.

Australia Gaming Regulations

Regional Laws – Gambling legislation is divvied up between individual states and provinces. These laws are similar in nature but have minute differences between them. As such, it is important to understand the different territorial legal codes pertaining to gambling based on where you reside in Australia. Our Australian Regional Laws page has more information on the individual laws.

Who Regulates Gambling In Australia?

Gambling regulation in Australia is twofold. There are some federal departments tasked with widespread regulation, but the bulk of responsibility lies with individual states and provinces. This site focuses on the federal end of regulation and covers:

• The Australian Communications and Media Authority
• Polices telephone and online (remote) gambling
• The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre
• Regulates money laundering activities
• The Australian Federal Police
• Enforces interactive gambling and financial legislation

Forms Of Legal Gambling In Australia

There are multiple land-based gambling establishments that are considered legal in Australia. These include brick-and-mortar casinos which host slots, table games, poker (including pokies, or virtual poker machines) and more. Sports and race betting is considered legal in Australia, but only through properly licenced and regulated outlets. In fact, sports betting is the only form of online gambling legally permitted to be offered to Australian residents from domestically based sites. The largest online platform is known as TAB and hosts sports gambling and racing bets. There is no in-play betting allowed per the local gambling laws.

Minimum Gambling Age in Australia

In Australia, the minimum gambling age is standard nationwide. To enter a casino in Australia, regardless of state, requires gamblers to meet the minimum age of eighteen. This fixed legal age applies to lottery ticket purchasing, sports betting and race betting, bingo, casino games, poker and all real money betting.

Gaming Legislation In Australia South Africa

Curtailing Gambling Addiction In Australia

Gaming Legislation In Australia Immigration

The reason why gambling laws are so stringent is that Australia has a high number of cases of problem gambling. Gambling addiction is taken very seriously in the country and there are multiple regulations in place to keep it in check. This is why in-play betting is considered illegal and not allowed via any licenced and regulated Australian betting outlet. The government made changes to protocols in the time leading up to the IGA 2016. These changes were meant to help problem bettors in the country. For example, there is a self-exclusion register for online bookmakers. This helps to keep problem gamblers from accessing sites. There is another option for bookmakers to establish a betting limit to help gamblers avoid getting into financial hardships. Some bookmakers used to be allowed to offer lines of credit, however, this practice has since been disallowed.

Gaming Legislation In Australia Fires

Any Reformations Planned For The Near Future?

There may some further amendments to the IGA. If anything, these would strengthen the restrictions on licenced offshore gambling sites. As things stand now, individuals are not targeted for using offshore sites. Some sites’ IP addresses may be blocked, but there are others still accessible to Aussie punters. Perhaps new legislation would tighten reinforcements on individuals as opposed to just operators.

Gambling Laws Lead To Gambling Operator Exit

Since the gambling laws have gotten so restrictive, many online operators decided to leave the Australian market. For example, notable online poker sites like 888Poker left with the passing of the reformed IGA. The new laws create potential financial hardships and limit these operators’ access to a lucrative gambling pool, so it makes sense why they would leave. Some groups are lobbying for certain operators to be permitted, but the current framework makes it difficult for any licenced online gambling operator to have a legitimate chance in this market. As of now, there are no concrete plans to change the legislation.

Gambling Help Resources In Australia