Are live casinos in Australia safe?

Considering that live casinos in Australia are illegal, punters are forced to register at foreign sites and play their favourite games. However, they need to have in mind that there are some fraudulent sites circulating around, so the first thing that needs to be checked before registering an account is whether the live casino has the necessary license.

How long does it take for withdrawals to be completed?

This mainly depends on the payment method chosen by the punter. E-Wallets are known for having fast withdrawals, so they are very popular among players.

Are land-based casinos legal in Australia?

Yes, land-based casinos are legal and they are very popular among Australian punters, who visit them regularly.

Who regulates gambling in Australia?

The Australian Communication and Media Authority is in charge of controlling the whole gambling market in the country.

What is the legal gambling age in Australia?

Australians need to be at least 18 years old to enter a land-based casino in the country.

Can players expect bonuses at live casinos that accept Australian players?

Yes, their gambling journey will begin with a nice welcome bonus, and during their gameplay, players will be entitled to claim various other bonuses and promotions, which are different in every live casino.

Can games be played for free at live casinos?

Most of the reputable live casinos have demo versions of their games, meaning that players can try out the game before they decide to wager real money.

Are there any withdrawal fees for Australian players?

Usually, the live casino wouldn’t charge any fees for withdrawals, but there might be some small fees associated with certain payment methods, which vary.

Can players play with Australian dollars at live casinos?

Not all live casinos offer punters the chance to play with Australian dollars, but the most popular ones do so.

Can Bitcoin be used as a payment method?

Most of the live casinos nowadays offer Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as payment methods, so, yes, Australians can gamble with Bitcoin.

Best Live Casinos in Australia: Top 10 Casino Websites 2023

Australia Live Casinos

Online gambling is very popular in Australia, and almost every resident in the country has admitted to gambling at least once in their life. However, the situation regarding live casinos in Australia is not so bright, as the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 forbids all forms of online gambling except for sports betting.

No offshore live casino is allowed to offer its services to Australian punters, and there are hefty fines in place for anyone who is caught in such activity. This does not mean that the online gambling market is completely closed for Australians.

Luckily for them, over time, the Australian government figured out that it cannot control the whole online gambling market in the world, and nowadays there are tons of live casinos from abroad that accept players from Australia.

Additionally, no one in the country has ever been punished for gambling at such sites, so the situation is not bad at all for Australian gamblers. All they need to do is search for a fully licensed live casino from abroad and they are good to go, they can continue playing their favourite games.

It is important to state that, as online gambling is not legal in Australia, in case of fraud, there is no authority that will protect the players, so it is vital that they check the relevant licensing information on the live casino's site before registering.

History of Gambling in Australia

Australia has always had what seems a tight relationship with gambling, and researches conducted in the country have shown numerous times that Australians are always keen on gambling. The vast majority of them have played at least once in land-based or online casinos.

The first gambling event in the country was back in 1810 when Sidney hosted a horse race, Shortly after, lottery games were organized, and during the 1950s, the gambling industry in Australia exploded after slot machines were introduced.

Slots in Australia are known as pokies, and they became very popular quickly, and even nowadays, they are one of the most played categories of games in the country. When it comes to online gambling, Microgaming is credited for creating the very first casino software in Australia back in 1994, but live casinos at that time were not a concept so popular among the general public.

Over time, online gambling sites gained recognition, and Australians were very keen on trying them out. More and more people started accessing live casinos, so the government could not control this sector as they wished.

As a result, the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 was crafted, and it was specially designed for online gambling sites. According to the Act, live casinos were strictly forbidden in the country, and it also made offshore companies illegal. There are some exceptions to this law, as sports betting and auto racing is not forbidden.

Gambling Nowadays in Australia

As stated above, online gambling is illegal in Australia, so there are no licensed operators in the country. However, land-based casinos and online sports betting are completely legal, and they are the only exceptions to the law.

At first glance, the situation might seem very worrying for Australian punters, but the reality is completely different. Even though the Australian government has stated that offshore live casinos are illegal and that they will block any trying to access the market, those sites have found a way around.

The government has noticed that it cannot control the sector as it has imagined, so nowadays, Australians are completely free to access any international live casino that accepts players from the country, without facing any repercussions for that. There are plenty of live casinos at disposal, so Australians need to make sure they register at a licensed one, and they have nothing to worry about.

Future of Live Casino in Australia

Online casinos are exploding in popularity worldwide and that is also the case in Australia. More and more people have access to these sites, so it is easy to see that the future of online casinos looks very promising.

However, there is a big obstacle in this sector – the fact that the government does not seem interested so far in legalizing online casinos in Australia. There is no site that holds such a license, and it does not seem that the situation will change in the near future.

There is pressure on the Australian government to legalize online casinos, especially from the young population, but there has been no positive feedback so far. Nevertheless, Australians have found a way to gamble at offshore live casinos, and there are no effective mechanisms in place that would stop them from doing so.

It is easy to see that there are countless benefits coming from legalizing online casinos, as the government will be able to impose taxes on the industry, employment rates in the sector will increase drastically, which will all contribute massively towards the country’s economy.

Players, on the other side, will be better protected as well, as they will know that the site they register on is a fully licensed one and they cannot be a victim of fraud. And in a very rare occasion that such inconvenience occurs, the government will be there to protect them. This is all very appealing, but the final say has the Australian government, but there is no progress in that field so far. It is to be expected that in the long-term future, the online casino sector will be fully legalized.

Mobile Casino in Australia

The portability and the accessibility of mobile phones have made them a very effective tool for taking care of everyday activities among Australians. Live casinos have not been excluded from this, as Australians grew very fond of playing their favourite live dealer games on their mobile devices.

Offshore live casinos have noticed that there is an increase in the demand for mobile gaming with each passing year, so the vast majority of the sites that accept Australian punters have created mobile apps which can be downloaded from both Android and iOS users.

Mobile phones and live casinos are a good match, and given that Australia is a well-developed country, most of its citizens have a good smartphone, which enables them to play live dealer games no matter their location.

Are Casinos Legal in Australia?

Land-based casinos are completely legal to operate in Australia, and it is one of the most profitable industries in the whole country. Some estimates have shown in the past that Australian residents spend more than $150 billion on casino games, such as roulette, pokies, poker, blackjack, as well as baccarat. This is an amazing number, and it shows how popular gambling is in the country.

As casinos are so popular, players are able to find them everywhere, there are around 200,000 pokies in Australia, which is astonishing. The situation is very different when it comes to online gambling and live casinos.

The Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 forbids all types of online gambling, except sports betting. No offshore companies are allowed to apply for a license in Australia, so there is no site in the country that offers its services to Australian punters.

Because of this situation, gamblers in the country are forced to find alternatives in the world market of live casinos, and luckily there are plenty of options there. There is no recorded case of an Australian being criminally charged for gambling at an offshore live casino, so everyone is free to access any site that accepts players from the country.

Regulation Laws and Authorities

As stated above, the gambling market in Australia is complicated, to say the least. Land-based casinos are completely legal in the country, and they are a major contributor to the economy, and gambling, in general, is accepted as a good pastime activity for most Australians.

The legislation in place that controls all aspects of gambling in Australia is the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA), which was introduced back in 2001. It specifically forbids all types of online gambling, except for sports betting.

So, live casinos are not accepted in Australia, and there is no licensed operator that offers such services to Australian punters. The Australian Communication and Media Authority is the body in charge of overseeing the whole gambling sector in the country.

Even though online gambling is illegal on paper, there are tons of offshore live casinos that accept punters from Australia, and the government does not stop them from gambling at such sites. The Interactive Gambling Act was introduced to minimize the harms of online gambling in Australia, but punters still find a way around it, and they are free to play their favourite live games at any international live casino.

Australian Players Favourite Live Games

After all, the most important factor that determines the success of every live casino is its selection of live dealer games. As online gambling is very popular among Australian punters, sites need to have the best possible games at their disposal, otherwise, players will not hesitate to search for another live casino.

The most popular live dealer games among Australian punters are:

These games come in many different categories, so every live casino needs to make sure to have them all integrated.

The live casino games in Australia like poker, blackjack, baccarat and roulette give players the chance to experience real-life casinos from their desktop or mobile screen, as they will be up against a real human dealer, with whom they can communicate. Poker, blackjack, and baccarat are games that require a specific skillset, while roulette is based purely on luck, hence the excitement while playing it.

Game Providers

Not only the quantity of games is important to Australian punters, but the quality must also be there as well. There are certain game providers that every live casino that accepts players from Australia needs to make sure to partner with.

Partnering with these big names will surely attract more players to register on the site. Every live casino should have providers’ information at disposal on their homepage, and Australian punters looking at the site need to see whether the live casino has partnered with the likes of:

These are some of the names that set the bar high in the industry, and their games are sure to be overwhelmed with quality.

Other Live Casino Games

Live dealer games are the favourites among Australians, but they are not the only category of games that can be found in international live casinos. It is necessary for any casino to offer a wide range of games so that every player will find something that matches their preferences.

Online pokies, or known as slots in the rest of the world, are a very popular option among Australian players, and every casino needs to have an abundance of them. There are different versions, such as 3-reels or 5-reels pokies, as well as progressive jackpot pokies.

Bingo also has to be mentioned here, as it is one of the easiest games to learn, so Australian punters love it. Similarly, keno can be found in most international casino sites, and it is a similar logic with bingo.

Lastly, craps is a game that is very common among international casino sites, and it is a classic dice game. Players from Australia will need to land a certain number using two dice while betting on the outcome.

Top Live Casino Bonuses in Australia

Free spins are very popular among Australian punters in live casinos they play at, and it is very easy to see why. It doesn’t cost anything, and free spins can help them secure some big wins without risking any of their money. Free spins are common among pokies, not in live dealer games.

Welcome bonuses are available for live dealer games, and they are a good way to attract newly registered players to the site. Usually, the most reliable live casinos that accept Australian players will match the first deposit made by them, while some will even go as far as matching the second and third deposit.

VIP bonuses are also very common in the best live casinos in the world, and they are a type of bonus that can be claimed by the most experienced punters on the site. They can come in many different forms, but almost always they have wagering requirements.

Next, there are the cashback and the different casino tournaments that the player can take part in. Cashbacks are very rare, hence their popularity and the special live casino tournaments are there for the most active players on the site, and they can always lead to some very handsome wins.

How to Claim These Bonuses

Firstly, every player in Australia needs to know that all bonuses have terms and conditions which have to be read carefully. Sometimes, the bonus just might not be ideal for some players to be claimed.

Welcome bonuses are a good example of this, as they always have the longest terms and conditions. Additionally, they also come with wagering requirements, so not always players will be excited to claim them. They are valid for a few days as well, so players need to be fast in claiming and using the bonus.

Cashbacks are self-explanatory, and they meant that the live casino may offer players the chance to retrieve some of the money they have wagered and lost. Special tournaments and loyalty programs are very different in every live casino, but one general rule states that the more time the player spends playing games on the site, the higher the loyalty ladder will climb, so the rewards will be bigger.

Top Payment Methods in an online casino in Australia

As is the case in many markets in the world, Australians prefer credit/debit cards as well as e-Wallets for all their transactions in live casinos. Card transactions are very common, and as everyone owns a credit/debit card, it is easy to see why.

Visa
MasterCard
Maestro

These payment methods are very common in Australia, so it is the dominant payment method in live casinos that accept Australian punters.

They offer instant deposits, and when it comes to withdrawals, players might need to wait 3-5 days for withdrawal requests to be completed. For that reason, e-Wallets have gained so much popularity in recent years, as they are known to process withdrawal requests almost instantly, which is a major advantage over credit/debit cards.

Some of the E-wallets are slowly becoming the number one choice for Australians in live casinos. Examples of e-Wallets include:

PayPal
Neteller
Skrill

Other Payment Methods in Australia

Apart from e-Wallets and credit/debit cards, there are also tons of other payment methods that Australians will find at live casinos they play at. Some of those are not very popular due to one reason – slow withdrawal requests.

Every player wants to have instant access to their money, and with payment methods such as prepaid cards, they need to wait several days before they can make any withdrawal. Examples of prepaid cards include Entropay and Astropay.

Cryptocurrencies need to be mentioned here as well. They are a new addition to the payment methods in live casinos, but they are not yet generally accepted by Australian players. They have all the advantages of the previously-mentioned payment methods, so cryptos will definitely become more and more popular in the near future.

Responsible Gambling

For those who wish to read more about responsible gaming or need help with addiction, please visit these websites below. Gambling addictions can be hard to spot, so please make sure to always gamble responsibly.

Top-rated Live gambling sites in Australia