Get in on the Action: Australia's Most Exciting Online Casinos Await

Online casinos in Australia are a significant business within the Commonwealth. Oceania, a geographical region encompasses New Zealand and bookmaker betting site comparison of the world's largest gambling markets.

Australians

They take great pride in their cultural heritage, one aspect of which is the long history of horse racing and various forms of betting. Few countries can claim their biggest annual holiday centers around gambling, except for Australians and the Melbourne Cup.

How Popular are Online Casinos in Australia?

According to the Australian gambling regulatory body, at least 4 out of 5 Australians placed a legal bet at home bookmaker at least once in 2011. Recent years have shown similar figures. Findings from a study suggest the Australian gambling industry is worth over twenty billion dollars a year. This figure includes all forms of online and land-based gambling, including lotteries.

Is Online Gambling Legal?

Yes, online gambling for customers in Australia is legal.

Gambling has been a tradition in Australia since the country stabilized. It did not see major success in the Commonwealth until the late 1990s. Around 2000, the capital first heard the first objections to gambling, and clearly, the Australian government was paying attention to the business.

Within a year…

..the federal government had organized web gambling hearings, purportedly in response to public concern about how the industry affects citizens.

The wave of gambling protest in Australia was short-lived…

The only act introduced during this brief period was the Gambling Act of 2001, known as the IGA. This new law enforced the same as what the United States had done when enacting the UIGEA. The act did not make online gambling illegal for customers; instead, it focused on gambling providers.

The IGA made it a criminal offense for:

“…anyone to provide an interactive gambling service to a customer physically present in Australia.”

Gambling providers found in violation of this law would face fines up to 1.1 million dollars for each day of illegal operation.

However

Like US-facing providers found workarounds for UIGEA’s bans to handle payments, so too could Australian gambling addicts avoid the IGA.

Specifically, modern supplementary services in the online payment processing industry, such as Neosurf and e-wallets, allow players to transact with the casino operator of their choice freely and safely. These operations continue to best protect the player’s interest while enabling Australian online gambling platforms to function optimally.

Popular Gambling Games

Australians love casino gambling games, especially pokies. “Pokie” is slang for “poker machine,” an Australian term for slot machines. Australians love their slot machines even more than Americans, spending billions of dollars on the game each year.

In fact…

…wagering on pokies represents the largest portion of gambling revenue in the entire industry. Australian casinos tend to host a game library similar to any Western gaming venue. Popular table games include baccarat, craps, and blackjack, along with several popular games originating from Asia. Compared to the US or Europe, Sic Bo and Pai Gow are more popular in Oceania.

Lotteries are very popular across Australia. The government was one of the first to set up a lottery system in the early 1920s. Initially run by small government funds, lotteries later became a major game of chance operated by the private sector. The two biggest nationwide lottery games are Oz Lotto and Powerball.

Keno is a money-maker in Australia. It's comparable in popularity to bingo in the US. The game is highly popular, with Australian cities hosting many keno halls, independent businesses offering keno games, and a few slot machines.

Bingo is beloved

Federal law allows both charitable bingo games and tournaments and games and tournaments run by territorial governments. They're often held in keno halls or large bingo venues. You will regularly see bingo games, both live and electronic, at Australian casinos.

Sports Betting

Betting on sports events is also noteworthy. Most states have clear laws stating that sports betting is entirely legal. The focal points for sports betting activities nationwide are probably in the states of Victoria and New South Wales. These two states have over 3,000 betting shops and kiosks. It's also rare to find a casino in any Australian state that doesn't have at least a small sports betting corner.

Pari-mutuel betting is an Australian cultural custom. At least since the mid-19th century, betting on races has become a familiar part of Australian society. A government agency, the Australian Racing Board, controls parimutuel bets. You'll find countless race betting facilities across the country, and each sports betting shop also bookmaker free bet offers a number of simulcast betting options. Again, Victoria and New South Wales are the centers of race betting in the country.

Casinos offer

Poker, head-to-head, sports betting and horse racing, bingo, keno, and casino games are available to those living within the Commonwealth borders, and they are entirely permitted to play legally. Refer to territorial and federal laws or legal bodies on this issue if you are interested in the legality of online casinos in Australia.