Offshore online casinos still accepting Australian players
With the official approval of the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016, Australians are facing a dramatically changing online casino landscape as many offshore gambling operators will begin to leave the Australian market to abide by the new laws. But what does that mean for Aussies who still want to play online for real money? This article goes over Australia’s current options for casino, poker and live dealer, and the sites still accepting Aussie players.
Best online casinos still accepting Australian players
What is an offshore online casino?
Before signing up with a new online casino post-IGA amendments, all players must familiarise themselves with what ‘offshore casino’, sometimes called ‘international’ casino, really means.
When we use the term offshore online casino site, it means a site based overseas in foreign gaming jurisdictions – and not in Australia. However, just because they operating in another country does not mean they can make up their own rules – every offshore casino site serious about their business must be licensed and abide by the strict laws set by the jurisdiction their servers are based in. A large portion of offshore casinos cater to Australians and accept bets in AUD currency, though this will change going into 2018 after the new IGA laws are enacted.
What are the current online gambling laws in Australia?
Offshore online casinos have been able to offer their services to Australian players since the introduction of the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001, as the only penalty was for running an online casino within Australia itself (fines of up to $220,000 – $1.1m per day of operation). However, the upcoming 2016 amendment bill, which passed in August 2017, will prohibit even foreign sites from offering interactive gambling services to Australian residents.
Best offshore online casinos still accepting Australians
Several offshore online casino sites will continue to offer their services to Australian players for the foreseeable future (even after the IGA amendment bill is official). This page is designed to help Aussies find the safest foreign offshore online casinos who have not dropped the Australian market. The table at the top of this page is geo-targeted and constantly updated, meaning it will only display offshore online casino sites which currently accept Australian players – if that ever changes, it will simply disappear from the table and you won’t see it, meaning you won’t accidentally sign up to a site that does not accept AUD real money players any longer.
The following sites currently accept Aussie sign-up as of your latest visit:
Always make sure to give preference to sites which have legitimate licensing in trusted and proven advanced gaming jurisdictions such as Malta or the United Kingdom Gaming Commission.
Who licenses offshore online casinos?
BettingSite only reviews and recommends legitimately licensed offshore online casinos because the current Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibit casino operators from being based in Australia and accepting Australian players. Hence, why we need to clarify what offshore casinos are in the first place, and clear up potential confusion. Going forward, many of the world’s offshore casinos will stop accepting Australian players just to avoid having to deal with the new amendments laws, but many more will remain regardless.
All major offshore online casinos we promote on BettingSite have publicly listed documentation which shows they have licensing and regulation from the world’s top gaming regulators, including the Malta Gaming Authority and the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. These aren’t no-name organisations, but fully fledged, government-backed entities that ensure online gambling operations based in their respective territories practice fair and responsible gaming experiences, provide prompt payouts and customer support, and remain transparent and honest as a business.
Are offshore online casinos safe for Australians?
Offshore isn’t a dirty word, but the Australian government and the recent amendment talks have attempted to associate the term with words like ‘scam‘ or ‘unsafe’. We’re here to fully clarify to our readers: Just because an online casino is based overseas, does not mean it isn’t properly licensed, regulated and reputable. It absolutely has to have official recognition from the government and the regulatory body of the territory it is based in, otherwise it has no standing to serve customers and be recommended by us or anyone else on the Web.
For the record, offshore isn’t the same word as ‘scam’. We do not deny there are casino sites based offshore that are scams which take advantage of ill-informed players, and there will undoubtedly be many new foreign online casinos that will attempt to draw in Australian players after the IGA amendments officially come into play.
However, the majority of the world’s best offshore online casinos are 100% legal and safe places to gamble real money and play baccarat, blackjack, craps, poker, roulette and more casino games to your heart’s content – and we only review and recommend the latter group of sites.
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