Australia loves to gamble. Although it has the 52nd largest population in the world, it has more gambling machines than all international gambling destinations. Pokies are available in every nook and corner of Australia, including land-based casinos, pubs, clubs, and hotels.
As if that were not enough, Australians enjoy playing their favourite pokies for real money online. Doing so is legal in Australia as its gambling laws target operators, not individual players. You can play for real money at any offshore online casino accepting AU players without legal trouble.
Steer clear of online casinos claiming to have an Australian license. Australia does not license or authorize any operator or individual to offer online casino gaming services within its jurisdiction. Playing at online casinos operating in Australia is illegal.
Many online casinos licensed in offshore gambling jurisdictions like Malta, Kahnawake, Curacao, Gibraltar, Alderney, and others accept playing residing in Oz.
They support play in AUD and welcome new players with AUD bonuses having player-friendly terms and conditions. They offer 24/7 customer support services and Australia-friendly banking options.
AU online casinos are not equal. You must research them thoroughly before signing up for real money play. Many rogue casino sites operate without a license just to separate players from their hard-earned money, and you must know how to identify and avoid them.
The safest way to choose a casino site is to select one of our recommended online casinos for Australian players. Our expert team takes time to research, review, and rate each AU casino site to ensure that it meets all the required industry standards. You can rest assured of a safe, secure, and fair online casino gaming environment if you sign up at one of our recommended online casinos for AU players.
We consider the following criteria while reviewing and rating AU online casinos. You may use the same while searching for the best Australian online casinos.
The best AU online casinos belong to well-known, experienced, and financially stable operators holding a valid iGaming license from reputed regulators like the Government of Gibraltar, the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, the Curacao Gambling Control Board, and others.
Top-rated AU online casinos welcome new players with generous bonuses on their first few deposits.
The best welcome bonuses include free spins on featured pokies and have player-friendly terms and conditions, including low wagering requirements and high max withdrawal limits.
Avoid online casinos without regular promotions, tournaments, and loyalty rewards.
Multi-level VIP clubs, network tournaments with big prizes, and promotions like reload bonuses, free spin offers, cashback deals, happy hours, and others spice up the gaming experience. Playing at casino sites without these special features gets boring in the long run.
Sign up at online casinos prioritizing safety, security, responsible play, and customer satisfaction.
Licensed AU online casinos implement the latest security measures, including sophisticated digital encryption technologies. They respect player privacy and help players to gamble within their bankroll limits.
Sign up at one of our recommended online casinos, make a deposit, and claim your welcome bonus to start playing the best online pokies in Australia.
Our recommended casino sites for AU players have player-friendly banking policies, fast payout speeds, and several reliable AU-friendly banking options, including credit cards, electronic wallets, bank transfer options, and cryptocurrencies.
Our experts test casino customer support service for promptness, courteousness, and friendliness. The best casino sites for Aussies offer 24/7 customer support through toll-free telephone lines, live chat, email, social networks, and messaging apps.
The Interactive Gambling Act (IGA), enacted in 2001, regulates the Australian online gambling industry.
The IGA criminalizes offering certain forms of gambling to individuals physically located in Australia. But it permits licensed operators to offer legalized forms of online gambling like online sports betting and online lotteries.
The IGA prohibits online casinos, which use the Internet to accept real money bets on games of chance or games of mixed skill and chance.
The Government of Australia passed this law to prevent operators from offering online casino gaming services within the country. The law does not target or penalize individuals who sign up at offshore online casinos to play real money games of chance online.
The IGA makes the following online gambling services illegal:
Australia considers all offshore online casinos accepting players from Down Under as illegal, especially online gambling sites that use native Australian animals, the Australian flag, and Australian slang to target Australian residents. But the laws do not prevent you from using their services.
Before signing up at an online gambling site, ensure they are legal. Visit the official website of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to check its list of legal online gambling sites operating on a license granted in Australia.
The ACMA has blocked several offshore online casinos after receiving and investigating complaints from residents. Check the ACMA block list, and avoid offshore online casinos that are on the block list.
You can choose from hundreds of legal online casinos accepting Aussie players. Since Australia does not license and authorize online casinos, these casinos operate on licenses granted in remote jurisdictions like Malta, the UK, Curacao, and others.
We recommend several offshore online casinos for Aussie players. None of them are on the ACMA block list, indicating that you can sign up at these online casinos, claim bonuses, and play your favourite online casino games for fun or real money.
Avoid signing up at online casinos without a license for the following reasons:
Banking is the least understood aspect of playing at online casinos. Usually, beginners sign up at online casinos without researching the casino’s withdrawal policies or banking options.
While Australian online casinos allow you to play free games without registering or logging in to your gaming account, only registered players can wager real money on the games. A deposit is required to play online casino games for real money.
Making a deposit at an Australian online casino is as simple as following these steps:
Withdrawing your casino winnings is as easy as making deposits and involves the following steps:
The best AU online casinos offer the following banking options, and all of them do not support deposits and withdrawals. Use an alternative payment method if your preferred deposit option does not permit withdrawals. Bank Wire Transfer serves as a payout-only method at many online casinos.
All Australia-facing online casinos accept deposits through Visa and MasterCard credit cards. Since all Aussies are familiar with using credit cards, it is the most popular payment method at AU online casino.
Credit and debit cards bearing the Visa and MasterCard brand are safe, secure, and fast. However, your bank or financial institution may charge you processing and transaction fees whenever you use credit and debit cards as payment methods.
Moreover, credit cards do not function as withdrawal methods in Australia.
A smart payment app, MuchBetter has revolutionized the way we pay for products and services.
It protects your sensitive information in the cloud, twins your MuchBetter account with your phone, and encourages you to enable touch ID for better security. Since fund transfer is easy, convenient, fast, and secure, you to start playing for real money immediately.
An electronic wallet solution, MiFinity allows Aussies to make quick, safe, and secure payments.
You can create a MiFinity account online or download the app. After activating your account, you can fund your eWallet and use it to make secure casino deposits.
Established in 2004, Neosurf enables you to pay in two ways—an electronic wallet solution and a prepaid voucher.
Both methods have a secure 10-digit PIN, which you can use to make payments with Neosurf. Purchase your prepaid voucher at points of sale throughout Australia to make payments with Neosurf.
A local payment method belonging to Australia Post, POLi allows you to make quick, safe, and secure payments from account to account. Choose from the traditional POLi Payments system and the new POLi PayID.
Many AU online casinos offer cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Tether, and others as deposit and withdrawal options. Crypto transactions are quick, safe, secure, anonymous, and free.
You can make crypto deposits and withdrawals without revealing your financial details to online casinos.
PayIDs are mobile numbers, organization identifiers, or email addresses linked to bank accounts approved by the New Payments Platform (NPP) Australia. You can pay directly from your bank account to your online casino PayID. The fund transfer is instant.
AUD online casinos are offshore online casinos that accept players from Australia. Since they support AUD play, you can deposit, wager, and withdraw in Australian dollars.
They use images of the Australian flag and Australian native animals in their website design to attract Australian players. Also, they use Australian phrases and slang in their website language to make Aussie players feel comfortable.
Some AUD online casinos have AUD as their internal operating currency. If you deposit in any other currency, the online casino will convert your deposit into AUD before crediting it to your account.
However, AUD is among the many supported currencies at most online casinos. The best AUD online casinos also support fiat currencies like USD, EUR, GBP, NOK, SEK, ZAR, PLN, INR, and NZD, among others. You can also deposit and withdraw with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and Tether, among many others.
What should you do if AUD is not one of the supporting currencies at an online casino? EUR or USD is the internal operating currency at some online casinos, although they allow you to deposit with AUD. But in this case, the online casino may charge currency conversion fees for deposits and withdrawals made with currencies other than the internal operating currency.
Crypto online casinos are popular among Australian players because crypto transactions are fast, safe, secure, and anonymous. Also, the decentralized nature of crypto enables online casinos to offer them as casino payment methods in grey jurisdictions without legal issues.
Moreover, crypto supports both deposits and withdrawals. AU players find it convenient to use AUD to purchase the desired cryptocurrencies and store them in secure crypto wallets. Using crypto wallets is similar to using electronic wallets like MuchBetter, Neteller, and Skrill. You can easily use them for casino deposits and withdrawals.
While searching for the best Australian online casinos, you may come across several new sites. New casinos go live online even as we write. Many Aussie players wonder if signing up at new online casinos has any advantages. Can you trust a new casino site? The section below answers this question.
Playing at new Australian online casinos has the following advantages:
The best and the latest technology powers the latest casino sites. New casinos online use sophisticated security measures and digital encryption technology to protect your data, funds, and gaming experience.
New online casinos use ultra-modern website designs compatible with any device. Enjoy captivating colour schemes and player-friendly features like prominent link buttons, hamburger menus, and spacious pages.
Modern online casinos present their salient features and game libraries on the main page, saving you the bother of clicking on links and navigating through countless web pages.
New online casinos are serious about customer satisfaction because they need to build a customer base and retain player loyalty. So, they are prompt to respond to player woes.
They offer support 24/7 through several methods, including toll-free phone lines, live chat, email, social networks, and messaging apps. New casino websites include exhaustive help centres, FAQs, or knowledge bases.
New casino sites are anything but outdated. They use the latest casino gaming software platforms and introduce new titles in their libraries. You will not find any old or outdated stuff at a new casino site.
They regularly test their software and install required updates to deliver the ultimate casino gaming experience.
Welcome bonuses and promotional offers are always bigger and better at newer online casinos.
New sites are open to experimenting with wager-free bonuses to give players a lucrative gaming experience. Enjoy bonuses with player-friendly terms at new casinos online.
Younger sites do their research well and introduce new payment options. So you can deposit and withdraw with younger payment options like PayID, MuchBetter, MiFinity, and cryptocurrencies.
Since new casino sites are eager to please their customers, they offer exciting rewards programs. They offer rewards like level-up bonuses, free spins, cashback deals, and many others to encourage existing players to sign up frequently and play for longer sessions.
After going through the above advantages of new online casinos, you may feel that they are too good to be true. You must understand that new sites also have disadvantages, as follows:
New sites belonging to new companies do not have industry experience. They need several years to prove their worth to the player community. Inexperience makes young casino sites risky for players, especially high rollers who deposit and wager large wads of cash.
Although they use the latest software platforms, a lack of industry experience makes it difficult for young casino sites to handle technical issues. They may lack the financial resources and knowledge to deal with frustrating technical issues like frozen games, slow downloads, and bugs.
Eager to start functioning, many online casinos launch without completing licensing procedures. Crypto-only online casinos do not feel the need to obtain a license because of the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies.
Signing up at new casino sites operating without licenses is dangerous. Since they are not accountable to any regulatory body, they can shut down and vanish with your deposits at any time.
So, do your research well before signing up at new online casinos. Sign up at one of our expert-recommended new AU online casinos to stay safe.
Offshore online casinos accepting Australian players do not force players to make deposits and wager real money on the games. If you are reluctant to spend real money on the games, you can play games in the free, fun, or demo mode as long as you want.
Most casino sites allow you to play free games without signing in to your account or registering a new one. A few, however, need you to register before giving you access to their game libraries.
Playing for free, however, gets monotonous and boring in the long run because you cannot win real money prizes. Experts advise beginners to sign up and start playing for real money at the earliest possible.
Here are the benefits of playing real money casino games:
Only players who have signed up for real money play qualify for casino bonuses. Online casinos welcome newly registered players with no deposit cash bonuses or free spins. And when you make a deposit, the online casino will give you deposit match bonuses with free spins.
Are you still reluctant to play at real money online casinos? Claiming online casino bonuses is an excellent way to reduce the risks of gambling. Bonuses allow you to play real money games with house money and win real money prizes.
Online casinos reduce your risks of gambling by offering the following varieties of casino bonuses:
All you need to receive a no deposit bonus is a registered account at an online casino. These are free bonuses because they do not require a deposit. You only have to sign up and log in to your account to get the bonus.
No deposit bonuses are of two types—no deposit cash bonus and no deposit free spins. The former comprises bonus credits, and the latter has free spins. You can use your no deposit bonus on permitted games and win real money prizes.
AU online casinos welcome newly registered players who have just made a deposit with multi-tiered deposit match bonuses with free spins. Use these bonuses on the permitted games to win real money prizes.
Here is the formula to play real money online casino games with house money and win real money prizes:
Online casino bonuses are exciting ways to play real money games without risking your money, but they are subject to T&Cs. Always read the bonus terms before claiming the bonus.
The fun of gambling lies in wagering real money on the games. If you do not play for real money, you will not win real money prizes.
The most popular online casino games in Australia have always been and will always remain pokies. Owing to their popularity, most games in online casino libraries are pokies.
However, casino players residing Down Under also enjoy playing table and card games. Licensed brick-and-mortar casinos in Australia are introducing new games to meet player demand. And online casinos offer hundreds of non-pokie games like RNG and live table games, bingo, scratchcards, and video poker games.
The following online casino games are very popular among Australian players:
Australia loves to play all kinds of table & card games like baccarat, poker, blackjack, and roulette. Australia-friendly online casinos offer several variants of table & card games. Although based on standard rules, slight variants set the games apart from one another and alter their odds.
Let us have a closer look at the popular table & card games in Australia:
Australian online poker enthusiasts prefer signing up at online poker rooms to participate in freerolls, satellites, and SnGs. Many variants of casino poker are also available at online casinos. Unlike traditional poker, casino poker games are played against the house.
Aussies love to relax with roulette because it requires no skills or strategies. The game has several betting options, and each bet has a different house edge. You can choose from many types of roulette games at AU-friendly online casinos.
Once considered a game of the elite, baccarat is now available to players with all kinds of budgets. Moreover, online casinos offer several varieties of baccarat to enhance the gaming experience.
Australia’s favourite card game, blackjack challenges you to create a hand of point value 21 or as close to it as possible without going bust. Aussies love blackjack because it is a game of mixed skills and chance, allowing you to use strategies to lower the house edge and improve your winning odds.
Video poker is for Aussie players who love playing poker and pokies. It is a category of online casino games that blends the rules of pokies and poker.
Video poker has simple rules of poker, but you can play it like a pokie. The top prize is 4,000 coins, which you can win by getting the Royal Flush.
While beginners can get started by playing single-handed video poker games, expert players can boost their chances of winning by playing multi-handed video poker variants.
Enjoy the brick-and-mortar casino gaming experience without leaving the cosy comforts of your home. Live casino software providers use the latest gaming technologies to bring the live gaming action to your computer screen.
Live casino technology allows you to participate in live games played in game studios or land-based casinos from home. A chat box enables you to interact with live croupiers.
Live casinos offer several live dealer games, including live table & card games, live pokies, and live game shows.
The most popular games of chance in Australia are pokies. They are available in brick-and-mortar casinos, bars & restaurants, racetracks, hotels, clubs, and pubs in different parts of Australia.
Aussies also enjoy playing pokies online. Casino game libraries online are pokie-dominated, and software providers go out of their way to make the pokie gaming experience exciting.
In addition to sophisticated graphics, sound effects, and animations, modern pokies have innovative game mechanics like Megaways, Bonus Buy, Hold & Win, Cluster Pays, and Cascading Reels.
Offshore online casinos accepting Aussie players are of two types—single-vendor and multi-vendor. The former offers 100 – 500 pokies from a single vendor, while the latter offers thousands of online pokies from multiple software providers.
Moreover, offshore online casinos enhance the pokie gaming experience by offering generous pokie bonuses, running lucrative pokie promotions, and hosting pokie tournaments with big prize rolls. Join the loyalty club to earn rewards for playing real money pokies.
Aussies love pokies for the following reasons:
Browse the library of any AU-friendly online casino, and you find hundreds and thousands of pokies with different win lines, bonus features, themes, pay tables, and game mechanics. All pokies have standard rules with slight variations that set them apart.
We recommend online pokies sites that have partnered with reputed third-party auditors, who regularly test their software and games for fairness and accuracy. The casino sites publish the test results and game payout percentages on their websites.
Sign up at one of our recommended casino sites to enjoy thousands of pokies with high payout percentages.
Aussie players enjoy playing the following pokies at online casinos:
Play classic pokies to experience the traditional pokie gaming experience. Classic pokies have single paylines, three reels, and few or no special features. They are simple, well-designed games, ideal for those who have never played pokies before.
Despite their simplicity, they have generous payout structures and hefty jackpots. Modern classic pokies have superior graphics, animations, and audio effects. In addition to traditional pokie symbols of bells, bars, and fruits, modern pokies have attractive thematic symbols and extra features.
All pokie enthusiasts dream of winning progressive jackpots, and Aussie players are not exceptions to the rules. AU online casinos offer anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred progressive jackpot pokies.
The jackpots of these pokies grow in size with every bet placed on the game till someone wins them. Progressive jackpots can grow to several million AUD. Online casinos reset them to their seed value when someone wins them.
For example, the Microgaming jackpot pokie Mega Moolah has a seed value of A1ドル million.
Most of the pokies at online casinos accepting Australian players are video pokies. They have five reels, hundreds of paylines, and bonus features like scatter symbols, wild symbols, and free spins with extra wild symbols, multipliers, bonus rounds, and progressive jackpots.
The latest video pokies entertain players and plump their bankrolls with innovative game mechanics like Bonus Buy, Megaways, Cluster Pays, and Hold & Win.
Megaways pokies are popular among Aussie players because they give you hundreds and thousands of ways to win with every spin of the reels.
The first vendor to design Megaways pokies was Big Time Gaming. The vendor launched Dragon Born, the first pokie bearing the Megaways mechanic. A spin of the reels can yield 117,649 win lines.
Interactive pokies are also known as i-slots, and the software provider most noted for its interactive pokies is Rival.
These pokies have multiple win lines and reels and tell engaging tales as you unlock features and hit wins. They can keep you on your seats for long gaming sessions.
Online pokies are more popular than land-based pokies in Australia because of their high RTPs. Since online casinos are cheaper to operate, they can afford to offer pokies with high RTPs. A low-variance online pokie with high RTP spews frequent but small wins.
Online casinos are illegal in Australia, but Australian online gambling laws target operators, not individual players. Operating online casinos in Australia is illegal, but playing for real money at offshore online casinos is not.
Online casino winnings are tax-free in Australia. If you win a jackpot at an online casino, you can enjoy it without sharing it with the Government of Australia.
But professional gamblers may have to pay taxes on their winnings because gambling is their source of income, not a recreational activity.
Playing for real money at online casinos is safe, provided they operate on a valid iGaming license. Licensed online casinos maintain high levels of security and partner with independent auditors to test their games and software for fairness and accuracy.
They respect player privacy, offer 24/7 customer care, and help players to gamble responsibly.
All trustworthy and reliable casino sites started as new casino sites. We advise players to research the new site well before signing up. You can trust any licensed new online casino that belongs to a trustworthy and experienced operator.
All modern online casinos are browser-based and mobile-friendly. You can play in your browser without downloading any software program or native app. Few online casinos offer the download option, but downloading software is now an outdated way to play.
You will find all kinds of game categories in AU online casino libraries. Although pokies dominate all casino libraries, you can also play RNG and live table & card games like poker, roulette, blackjack, and baccarat. Online casinos also offer video poker, bingo, keno, craps, and scratch cards.
Players need to be at least 18 years old to play for real money in Australia. Licensed offshore online casinos conduct age verification procedures and do not accept registrations from underage players.
The best AU online casinos welcome new players with multi-level bonus packages with free spins on featured pokies. Existing players can enjoy regular bonus offers, cashback deals, loyalty rewards, refer-a-friend bonuses, Bitcoin bonuses, and game-specific bonuses.
All top-rated AU online casinos are mobile-compatible and function like web apps on iOS and Android devices. Some online casinos also offer native mobile gaming apps for Apple and Android.
Australia-friendly online casinos offer online casino games in free and real money modes. Most casinos allow you to play for free without signing up or logging in to your gaming account. But you have to register and log in at some online casinos to access their game libraries.
