What Online Gambling Is Legal in Australia?

Which forms of online gambling can be offered legally?

Australia does not have a blanket ban on online gambling. The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 distinguishes between services that providers may offer with appropriate authorisation and those they cannot offer to people physically in Australia. State and territory rules and licence conditions also apply.

The following overview describes product categories, not approval of an individual website or offer:

• Online sports betting before an event: may be offered by an appropriately licensed provider for permitted markets.
• Online in-play sports betting: prohibited for providers, subject to statutory exceptions, including a qualifying telephone service.
• Online racing wagering: may be offered by an appropriately licensed provider; racing is treated differently from sport under the online in-play restriction.
• Real-money online casinos, pokies and poker: providers cannot lawfully offer these services to customers physically in Australia.
• Qualifying online lottery ticket sales: may be offered by an appropriately authorised provider. Betting on a lottery outcome is a different, prohibited product.
• Online instant or scratch lotteries: excluded from the ordinary federal lottery exception.
• Online keno and foreign-matched lotteries: some could fall within the federal lottery exception on the check date, subject to local authorisation; changes are scheduled for 2027.
• Online bingo, social games and sweepstakes: a product’s label alone does not establish its legal status. Its mechanics and applicable jurisdiction need closer examination.

Sports and racing betting: timing and delivery matter

Legal online sports betting in Australia can include permitted bets placed with an appropriately licensed wagering provider before a sporting event begins. This is often called pre-match betting. The operator, the market and the way the bet is offered must all meet the applicable rules.

In-play betting means betting after an event has started. Providers generally cannot offer in-play sports bets over the internet, but a qualifying standard voice telephone service is an important exception. A phone call alone does not make every betting process compliant.

ACMA has explained that the relevant bet information must be supplied wholly through the qualifying call. In one investigation, it found that an individually generated app or website fast code used as part of the process did not satisfy the requirement. An online bet before a football match and a properly conducted telephone bet during it are therefore different from an online in-play offer during the match.

Racing is not treated identically to sport under the online in-play restriction. ACMA distinguishes racing wagering from the prohibition on online in-play betting on sporting events. That distinction does not establish that every racing provider or market is authorised.

Online casinos, pokies and poker

Under online casino laws in Australia, providers cannot lawfully offer real-money online casino games, pokies or poker to customers physically in Australia. That position is different from the rules allowing appropriately licensed providers to offer certain online wagering services.

A foreign licence does not establish permission to offer an online casino to people in Australia. Nor does an accessible website, an Australian-looking web address or an association with a physical casino. For example, an offshore poker site may load on an Australian device without being authorised to offer its service there.

The federal restrictions discussed here principally concern the provision and advertising of services. They should not be read as a finding that every player commits an offence, or as a guarantee that a player could never face legal consequences. The research does not establish a universal answer for every jurisdiction and situation.

There are practical risks too. Commonwealth consumer guidance warns about illegal offshore services, including risks relating to withdrawals, security and resolving disputes. Website access is not evidence that Australian consumer protections will be effective.

Lotteries, online keno and the scheduled 2027 changes

An appropriately authorised provider may sell qualifying lottery tickets online. Buying a ticket is not the same product as placing a bet on the outcome of a lottery draw: betting on a lottery result is prohibited. Electronic scratch and other instant lotteries are also excluded from the ordinary federal lottery exception, so the availability of a physical scratch ticket does not establish that its online equivalent can be offered.

A foreign-matched lottery is another distinct product. Its prizes are linked to an overseas draw, and the government’s 2026 review describes services that purchase a matching overseas ticket. It should not automatically be described as a bet on the outcome of that draw.

As at 11 November 2026, some online keno and foreign-matched lotteries could fall within the federal lottery exception. That did not mean every service was authorised: state and territory licensing and conditions still mattered.

From 1 January 2027, Schedule 4 of the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026 is scheduled to change the lottery exception, including its treatment of foreign-matched lotteries and keno-type lotteries to the extent they are not place-based. This should not be described as a ban on all keno in venues.

Before relying on the position after 1 January 2027, check commencement, any later amendments and current regulator guidance. The government review and the amendment Act are listed in the sources below.

Online bingo, social games, sweepstakes and cryptocurrency

Online bingo does not have a simple blanket answer in the sources reviewed. Secondary legal guides differ in their discussion, so check the actual product with the relevant regulator rather than assuming every bingo-labelled service is permitted or prohibited.

A social casino game is typically free to download and may offer optional purchases, according to ACMA’s market overview. Those features do not by themselves create a legal exemption. For an unfamiliar game or sweepstakes, relevant questions include whether entry requires payment, whether the outcome depends on chance, what value any prize has, how the product works and which jurisdiction’s rules apply.

For example, a game advertised as free may offer purchases and a valuable prize. Its marketing label alone is not enough to decide its status. Likewise, using cryptocurrency does not by itself determine whether a gambling product is lawful. A separate payment restriction applies to online and telephone wagering deposits, as explained below.

How federal law and state and territory licences interact

The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 establishes federal prohibitions and exceptions. The relevant connection to Australia concerns a customer being physically present in Australia, rather than simply being an Australian citizen or resident. ACMA administers and enforces relevant parts of the federal framework.

States and territories also license and regulate providers, with conditions that depend on the activity and jurisdiction. A licence for one service is not permission to offer every product. For instance, a wagering licence does not authorise the operator to add a real-money online casino.

Local requirements are not necessarily identical nationwide. As one example, Victoria’s regulator says Victorian bookmakers need an off-course permit from the relevant co-regulator to offer online betting. The Department of Social Services’ jurisdiction directory can help readers find the appropriate authority.

How to check whether a gambling provider is authorised

Check the specific operator and product before depositing money or submitting identity documents. ACMA’s register is a starting point for interactive wagering: it lists details including trading names, licence holders, websites and licensing authorities.

A match is useful evidence, not a guarantee that every market or offer on a site complies. Equally, the absence of an ACMA warning does not prove a service is compliant. The wagering register should not be treated as a complete list of authorised lotteries or charitable products.

• Identify the service: record the legal operator, trading name, exact website or app, product and the customer’s location.
• For wagering, compare those details with ACMA’s gambling operator register. Check the exact site rather than relying on a familiar brand name.
• Check the issuing regulator’s current licence information and any relevant product, market or geographic conditions.
• Review ACMA’s investigation outcomes and warnings for information about past breaches.
• For a lottery or another product outside the wagering register’s scope, ask the relevant state or territory regulator how to verify the operator and product.
• If you cannot verify the service, do not deposit or submit identity documents. Contact the regulator. ACMA accepts complaints about online gambling services and may direct complaints about a licensed wagering provider to its licensing authority.

Identity checks, payment restrictions and gambling support

Licensed online wagering providers must verify a customer’s identity before the customer places a bet. Before supplying documents, first check that you are dealing with the authorised operator and its genuine website or app.

Online and telephone wagering operators cannot accept credit cards, credit-linked digital-wallet funds or digital currency for betting deposits. ACMA says this particular restriction does not apply to lotteries. That exception does not mean a particular lottery accepts any of those payment methods.

A legal service can still result in losses. The national wagering framework includes deposit-limit tools and activity statements. Read the operator’s withdrawal and identity-check terms, use a unique password and available account-security features, and consider setting a deposit limit before betting.

BetStop is a free national self-exclusion register for Australian-licensed online and telephone wagering services. Registration excludes a person from all those services for a minimum of three months and up to a lifetime. It is not a universal block on lotteries, physical venues or offshore sites.

For support, visit Gambling Help Online or call the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858. The government describes the phone service as free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Check current service details before publication or use.

FAQ

Are online casinos legal in Australia?

Providers cannot lawfully offer real-money online casino games, pokies or poker to people physically in Australia. An offshore licence or an accessible website does not establish Australian authorisation. This provider restriction is not, on its own, a universal conclusion about player liability.

Can Australians bet on sports online?

Appropriately licensed providers may offer online sports wagering on permitted markets, including qualifying bets placed before an event. Online in-play sports betting is restricted. A qualifying telephone exception exists, but simply completing a bet by phone does not guarantee that the process complies.

Is online poker treated differently from sports betting?

Yes. Providers cannot lawfully offer real-money online poker to customers physically in Australia. By contrast, appropriately licensed wagering providers can offer permitted sports betting markets, subject to the applicable rules and licence conditions.

Does an overseas gambling licence make a website legal in Australia?

No. An overseas licence does not establish that a provider may offer a particular service to customers physically in Australia. Check the product and the relevant Australian authorisation; access to the website or an Australian-looking domain is not proof.

Are gambling rules the same in every state and territory?

The federal interactive gambling framework applies nationally, but state and territory laws, licences and conditions also matter. Requirements can differ by product and jurisdiction. Use the Department of Social Services’ directory to find the relevant regulator.

Can I use cryptocurrency to deposit with a betting site?

Online and telephone wagering operators cannot accept digital currency for betting deposits. ACMA says this particular restriction does not apply to lotteries, but that does not establish that any lottery accepts cryptocurrency.

Is buying an online lottery ticket the same as betting on a lottery draw?

No. An appropriately authorised provider may sell qualifying lottery tickets online, while betting on the outcome of a lottery is a different, prohibited product. Foreign-matched lotteries are also distinct and are affected by changes scheduled for 1 January 2027.

Does BetStop block every form of gambling?

No. BetStop covers all Australian-licensed online and telephone wagering services, with exclusion lasting from at least three months up to a lifetime. It is not a universal block on lotteries, gambling venues or offshore websites.