A robust horse racing industry in Australia serves as evidence that Australians do enjoy various forms of gambling. That includes sports betting, casino play, and lotteries. All of that brings into question whether or not online gambling is legal for Australian residents. The following information should serve to answer that very important question.
The Interactive Gambling Act of 2001
Recent studies indicate that approximately 80% of the residents Down Under will participate in some form of gambling over the next year. Given the rising popularity of online gambling throughout the world. It's a good bet that a great majority of them would like to participate in online gambling activities. Are said activities legal in Australia?
The most relevant law related to online gambling in Australia is the "Interactive Gambling Act of 2001" (IGA). The legalities related to online gambling in Australia are laid out in great detail in this signed legislation. Let's take a look at this law, narrowing the focus down to online casino gambling.
The law explicitly states that each "province" has the constitutional right to control online casino gambling among its respective residents. With that said, it's only the Northern Territory that offers licensing to online casino operators. However, there is a very big caveat that goes with the licensing. Access to Australian-based online casino sites can only be offered to online gamblers outside of Australia. Translation: Australians are not permitted to use Australian online casino sites.
Is Offshore Online Casino Gambling Legal in Australia?
Here is where Australian online casino gamblers can find a little hope. While the IGA does all it can to discourage Australians from using offshore gambling sites, there is nothing in the law that specifically makes offshore online gambling a crime. As long as an online casino site has no affiliation with Australia, it's fair game.
Of course, Australians are only allowed to use online casino gambling sites that are permitted by their regulators to offer access to Australian citizens. Fortunately, regulators like the Malta Gaming Authority and the UK Gambling Commission are good with their licensed casinos accepting players from countries that don't specifically outlaw certain forms of online gambling.
There is one more caveat that is worthy of discussion. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) frowns on Australians using credit/debit cards to fund their online gambling accounts. With that said, prosecution for credit card gambling violations is seldom if ever prosecuted.
What Australian Online Casino Gamblers Need to Know About Offshore Online Gambling
Before Australian online casino gamblers take their wagering activities to another country, they need to understand the nuances of doing so. It turns out that searching for a directory of no deposit online pokies and playing is a bit more complicated than one might initially believe.
If you are an Australian resident who is preparing to start your "career" as an online casino gambler, here are a few things of which you need to be aware.
You might need a VPN
While a lot of European online casino operators are friendly with and accepting of Australian online gamblers, their laws might permit them to offer "direct access" to certain gambling sites. It's a tech issue. Fortunately, there is a workaround option to get around such restrictions. It's called using a VPN or Virtual Private Network. It works like this.
A VPN is a software communications platform. It allows users to communicate over the internet without having to expose their IP addresses. The internet communications are encrypted and routed through a series of routers in other regions, effectively hiding the sources of the original communication.
You can purchase a VPN software component over the internet for what should be a minimal monthly fee. Once in place, you would need to initiate your VPN thru a location (server) that resides inside the operator's home country. As long as everything is handled above board, such activities are legal.
Legal Protections
Most legal online gambling regulators have regulations in place to protect the country's residents from predatory online gambling operators. Please pay attention!!! These protections are not often extended to offshore gamblers from other countries. Why is this a problem?
If an Australian online gambler like you has a dispute with a UK online casino operator, the Australian might be out of luck. Why? The UK Gambling Commission has no interest in protecting outsiders or foreigners. If you got caught up in this kind of situation, you would likely get cheated at the hands of the rogue operator.
Conclusion: Putting these negatives aside, you, as an Australian, can take solace in the fact you are permitted by law to enjoy online casino gambling as long as you are willing to take your online gambling business abroad. In the future, Australian government leaders might consider loosening the online gambling reigns a bit.
