Sports betting law in Australia

Australia is one of the world’s leading gambling nations. Events like the Melbourne Cup attract bets from the majority of the adult population, and Australians spend billions of dollars on slots every year.

Despite the popularity of gambling activities, it’s illegal to offer online gambling services in Australia. Fortunately for sports betting enthusiasts, online sports betting is exempt from this ban, provided that operators are licensed by the Australian government.

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Laws governing betting in Australia

Interactive Gambling Act of 2001

The Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 was introduced specifically to restrict and regulate the activity of online gambling companies. The Act makes it illegal for companies both in and outside of Australia to offer, or engage in, “real money” online gambling services with residents of Australia.

Sports betting is exempt from this legislation provided that online bookmakers obtain licenses from the Australian government.

Is it legal to bet online in Australia?

An important feature of the Interactive Gambling Act is that it’s aimed specifically at gambling service providers. It’s not considered an offence for an Australian citizen to place bets or gamble online, even when using an unlicensed provider.

While Australians are free to place bets online without fear of breaking the law, even major international bookmakers may not accept Australian clients unless they’re licensed to operate in Australia.

In short, if you live in Australia, you can bet 100% legally with any of the online bookmakers listed on betHQ.

Additional Resources:

Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (Comlaw.gov.au)
Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (Wikipedia.org)
Australian Online Gambling Laws (Australiangambling.com.au)

Disclaimer: betHQ followed all reasonable steps to ensure that the information on this page was correct at the time it was last modified, in May 2015. However, laws can change over time and it remains your responsibility to ensure that you’re not breaking any laws by betting online.