Australians love gambling.
In fact, you might not fully understand just how much it is so.
Per capita, Australians spend more time gambling than any other country in the world. Singapore is in a distant 2nd place. Some describe Australians’ gambling habits as bordering on an obsession.
The Australian government tried to intervene with their own legislation to no avail. The online casino and gambling industry continue to have year over year growth in Australia.
On this page we will examine the robust Australian casino culture, the laws affecting it, and of course, list the best Australian casino sites for you to play on.
Best Australian Casinos Online 2024
Australia’s Casino Culture
Casino gambling and other types of gambling thrive in Australia.
Australians are avid sports betters, and horse racing is especially popular. The first horse racing competition with betting took place in 1810. Since that first horse racing event, Australians now bet on any and every sport. It could be anything from cricket to rugby.
Sports betting in Australia is available in both land-based establishments and online.
The first traditional land-based casino was founded in Tasmania in 1973. This was the seed that has now grown into a booming casino culture that brings in big revenues. The original casinos were mirrors of the British style club casinos, but they’ve been updated to reflect the American aesthetic that is now famous in Las Vegas.
There are now 20 state=recognized land-based casinos in the metropolitan markets. There are numerous on-field sites with traditional video poker machines (pokies). These machines are responsible for almost 10% of the national gambling profits.
There are 20 official casinos in Australia.
Here’s a list of the top 12:
- Casino Canberra — 38,000 square feet of gaming area in a smaller city with more affordable room prices. This is a great starter casino to get the vibe of the Australian style land-based gambling scene.
- Wrest Point Casino — Sandy Bay, Tasmania is a bigger casino experience in a beautiful coastal town. They have offerings for your non-gambling friends and loved ones with world-class entertainment and dining options.
- The Ville Resort and Casino— looking for a beautiful resort experience with a casino? The Ville is a luxury resort and casino. It offers modern amenities and beautiful decor to take your breath away.
- Crown Melbourne— is Australia’s largest casino. Located in Melbourne, the Crown doesn’t have the glitz of Vegas. This casino destination is more similar to the Indian Casino found in Middle America. You feel right at home with their gambling, dining and entertainment choices.
- Lasseters— The only casino in Alice Spring, located in Australia’s Northern Territory. You can look forward to retro games in this secluded casino and hotel.
- SkyCity – Adelaide Casino— Located in Darwin, AU, the Sky City casino is open 24/7. This is a new trend for Australian casinos. Its owned by one of the largest casino operators in the country of Australia.
- The Star Gold Coast— is another massive casino, located in Queensland, AU. This luxury offing casino has everything you could possibly need or want in one location.
- Country Club Tasmania— is an old school British style, high-end gambling venue that offers the best of the best. Be ready to drop quite a bit on your stay as this casino is marketed to the elite.
- Treasury Casino— Located in Brisbane, the Treasury markets itself as “Colonial Cool That Leaves Ordinary At The Door”. This is old-world luxury in a modern setting that is also open 24/7.
- Crown Perth– Formerly known as Burswood Casino, is located in Perth. It is another luxury Las Vegas styled casino that markets itself to younger gamblers that are interested in table games as well as the dining, and entertainment options.
- The Pullman Reef Hotel Casino— Is the premier casino resort in Cairns Australia. They have 5 world-class restaurants, diverse gaming, and international entertainment acts that stop through their event venue.
- The Star Sydney— Another offering from the Star Entertainment Group, located on the waterfront of Australia’s largest urban area. Recent renovations offer mind-blowing decor and gambling options for every player.
Here’s a complete list of all the land-based casinos in Australia by Territory:
Australian Capital Territory
- Casino Canberra (Canberra)
- New South Wales
- The Star, Sydney (Sydney)
- Northern Territory
- Lasseters Hotel Casino (Alice Springs)
- Mindil Beach Casino (Formerly Skycity Casino) (Darwin)
- Queensland
- The Star Gold Coast (formerly Jupiters Hotel and Casino) (Broadbeach)
- The Reef Hotel Casino (Cairns)
- Treasury Casino (Brisbane)
- South Australia
- Adelaide Casino (formerly Skycity Adelaide) (Adelaide)
- Tasmania
- Country Club Casino (Launceston)
- Wrest Point Hotel Casino (Hobart)
- Victoria
- Crown Melbourne (Melbourne)
- Western Australia
- Crown Perth (formerly Burswood Casino) (Perth)
Land-based casinos are excellent at revitalizing urban areas in the country. Most Australian casinos are built with the aspirations of appealing to tourists; much like Vegas.
The Australian casino industry has succeeded at getting visitors to pump money into their local economies. Visitors to Australian casinos spend around 4,900.00 on a gaming trip.
Most casino resorts are designed around the idea of offering one-stop destinations for their visitors. The dining, the entertainment, and the casino ultimately bring money and jobs to the local economy they are located in.
Australian Online Gambling and Casinos- Are They Legal?
The laws surrounding online gambling in Australia are murky Much like American laws, they are some vast grey areas within the Australian legislation for online casinos and gambling. Australians’ love affair with gambling complicates legal issues further.
In-person sports gambling is legal around the country. Australian sportsbooks are managed by the Totalisator Agency Board (TBA). The TBA is responsible for the land-based sports gambling establishments throughout Australia.
These locations are where Australians can place wagers on sporting events. There are many other land-based casino operations that are completely legal for the Australian player to visit. They are regulated by differing Australian bodies with the government.
With the advent of online gambling, Australians have easier access to internet casinos. This was especially true in the rural areas of Australia’s vast outback. 29% of Australia’s population lives in impoverished and isolated settings.
The Australian Government felt the need to step in to advocate for these communities. Australia’s parliament passed the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) in 2001. This legislation was designed to protect the at-risk populations from being preyed upon by online casinos.
The IGA was not stringent enough to keep the online casino operators from retargeting citizens via offshore gambling tactics. The legislation was written so that the casino operators were still able to market to anyone except Australians.
Offshore casinos were left essentially unregulated.
These offshore casinos were still able to target Australian residents. In the 2001 law, there was no tax put on offshore casinos taxing wagers from Australian gamblers. This, in turn, left funds on the table that should have been collected to help avert gambling addiction in Australian citizens.
2016 brought sweeping changes to the original IGA law. The legislation was modified via amendment. The new legislation forced all the previously popular operators out – 888, LeoVegas, all Playtech and Microgaming brands and so on. Naturally, it cleared the way for many new online casinos to enter.
The tactic the legislation took was genius. This amendment was designed to discourage online casino operators from allowing Australians to play on their sites as well as accept Australian deposits. It would be near impossible for the government to prosecute Australian players from playing at offshore casinos. The main objective of the new law was to prohibit and discourage online casinos from advertising to Australian citizens. By the way, it also illegal to have an online casino and its servers based in Australia.
As the legal landscape of Australia’s online gambling continues to change, it is imperative to keep an eye on legislative changes. Make sure you know what is legal and what is not.
Contrary to common belief, it is not illegal for Australians to visit or play at online casinos. It IS, however, illegal to run an Australia casino site out of the country of Australia. Offshore casinos may breach the Gambling Act (IGA) governance and it is not illegal for Australian gamblers to use the services offered by online casinos.
Conclusion
You should now have a better grip on the feel of the Australian gambling industry and it works. You now have a little bit more knowledge on:
- Land-based casino industry and how it works within the Australian economy.
- The legislation and limitations of the Australian gambling laws.
- How Australian online casino work.
You’ll find more details about specific online Australia casino sites throughout specific reviews you can find on Sister Sites Index.