Legal Betting Sites in Australia

Are online Betting sites legal in Australia? Yes, online sports betting sites are perfectly legal in Australia. In this article, we’ll aim to provide a comprehensive guide on how and why betting sites are regulated in Australia by the Gambling Regulation Act. All legal betting sites in Australia must be fully licenced and be assured, we only review and compare these types of legal sites for our readers.

Australian betting regulation is highly strict compared to other countries but it’s for a good reason - safety and security. That’s why we only review legal betting sites in Australia and aim to provide honest information. Below we will look at the top legal betting features.

• Bonuses - A few years ago, sign up bonuses were being exploited and as a result, Australian regulation has cracked down on the majority of bonuses for new customers. However, betting sites can still offer bonuses to existing clients.
• Promotions - There are rules in place to make sure that promotions are only advertised to logged in members for Australian betting sites. As a result, you must be a member of a bookmaker’s website to view or take advantage of any betting promotions.
• Online casinos - Australia is one of the strictest countries in terms of online casinos as these types of websites are 100% illegal. However, real-life casinos are allowed in Australia.
• Safety and security - Australian betting sites do not give, sell, rent, share or trade any of your personal information as stated in their privacy policies. Betting sites will require a link to a privacy policy on their website and this can be easily accessed by customers.
• Responsible gambling - It’s a requirement of Australian betting sites to offer responsibly gambling features and links via their website. Some of the responsibility gambling features can include setting deposit limits or blocking access to an account for a certain amount of time.

It’s important to note that we don’t claim to be legal advisors or lawyers and this information is based on our expert experience in the betting industry. If you are concerned about a certain betting site or have more questions, it’s advisable to contact a local licensed legal practitioner.

It can be difficult to spot an illegal betting site but we are to help you to spot the major differences between legal and illegal sites. If you are concerned about a certain betting site that may be offering something that seems illegal, please use the below table as your ultimate guide.

Ultimately, the majority of Australian betting sites make sure they are complying with Australian betting law, otherwise they wouldn’t be in business. However, it’s important for you to know what’s considered legal and illegal. This will help you spot any illegal features at certain betting sites in the future.

We’ve looked at what a legal betting site should include and why there are considered legal in Australia. Now it’s time to provide a comparison list of the best legal betting sites currently available on the Australian market. We will provide their licensing information and what year they were formed in Australia. 

• Playup - Licenced in the Northern Territory under the NT Racing Commission since 2019
• Boombet - Licenced in the Northern Territory since 1998
• Winnersbet - Licenced by Racing Victoria and regulated VCGLR since 2020
• Bet365 - Licensed and regulated by the Northern Territory Racing Commission since 2012
• Unibet - Licensed by the Northern Territory Racing Commission since 2012
• Draftstars - Licenced in the Northern Territory under the NT Racing Commission since 2016
• Picklebet - Licensed and regulated by the Northern Territory Government since 2017
• Palmerbet - Licensed by Racing NSW and OLGR since 2013
• Topsport - Licensed by the NSW Government and regulated by Greyhound Racing NSW since 1998

Signs that a betting site is not legal

• The betting site offers online casino games using real money
• The betting site offers online in-play betting via their website or app without a phone call
• The betting site offers sign up bonuses to new customers
• The betting site offers betting promotions or bonus bets as a sign up bonus

Australian laws relating to betting online may seem complicated but we’ll aim to summarise the most important factors in this section. This will include important betting laws relating to sign up bonuses, live online betting, advertising rules and online casinos.

Betting Sign Up Bonuses Law

Enticing sign up bonuses or offers are a thing of the past in Australia. A few years ago, betting sites were able to offer new customers a sign up bonus, such as matching their initial deposit with bonus bets. However, Australian law has now stepped in to ensure this tactic is now considered illegal. So if you see a sign up bonus, it’s most likely not allowed or the betting site is acting in an illegal way.

Live Betting Law

Live betting refers to the process of placing bets on a sport or race as the live-action unfolds. Placing live bets can be of great advantage for punters as the odds fluctuate more often. However, Australian law prohibits placing live bets without speaking to a betting operator or support member. Betting sites are allowed to display live betting odds and a variety of markets. But the difference between normal and live betting is that customers must call their betting site to place a bet instead. Usually, this will involve talking to a real person and quoting a customer number or ID.

Betting Advertising Law

In terms of Australian betting advertising laws, it’s illegal for sports betting websites without a gambling licence to advertise their gambling services. There are also laws about when and how TV advertising can take place. For example, betting ads can’t be shown around the times of 6am to 8:30am or 4pm to 7pm. This is the peak viewing time for young children and Australian law is protecting youth from being influenced at an early age. In the future, we can see these types of betting advertising rules also applying to the online space, such as YouTube ads. In addition, betting sites are not allowed to advertise any betting products surrounding casino games, sign up offers or in-play betting.

Online Casinos Law

Visiting a Casino in real life is a common part of life in Australia but online casinos is a totally different matter. Online casinos that use real money in Australia have been banned since 2017. As a result, betting sites cannot offer popular casino games such as blackjack, roulette or slot machines. However, it’s important to note that this ban only applies to games that are played using real money. For example, mobile apps that offer casino games with fake money are fine to download in Australia. However, if you find a website that’s using real money, it’s 100% illegal and you should steer clear.

Generally, the betting process is fairly similar among all betting sites as they prefer to keep things simple and easy for customers.

Here’s how to safely place a bet:

• Login to the betting site
• Browse betting markets in either the racing or sports section
• Select the odds for the selected bet and add the bet to your betslip
• The betslip will either display in a side or popup window with the bet placed
• Next, enter a betting stake in the text field
• After confirming a betting stake, you can view the estimated payout
• To complete the process, select Place or Confirm Bet
• Usually all pending bets will be available via your my account section.

In general, here are some key tips for keeping your money safe and secure at Australian betting sites:

• Always try and use commonly trusted payment methods. This includes any bank payment options, PayPal, POLI and credit cards. If you see a payment method that seems a bit unknown, it’s advisable to steer clear and stick with a trusted option.
• Before signing up to a betting site, make sure you read through the terms and conditions so that you can be aware of their operational rules.
• During the sign up process, make sure you use a strong password so that your account is secure. In your password, don’t use easy to guess words or numbers like birthdays or your name.

While the laws surrounding betting are considerably strict in Australia, betting sites can still offer a variety of exciting betting features to their members. Here are the top betting features you should be looking for while searching for a legal betting site. 

• Mobile app - The majority of betting sites in Australia will have a mobile betting app available for popular mobile devices. It should be available for iOS and Android devices.
• Cash out - If you have a massive multi riding on its last leg, cash out will allow you to take the payout early.
• Live streaming - Many betting sites offer live streaming of racing, esports and sports. Our recommended live streaming service in Australia would be Bet365.
• Live betting by phone - As live online betting isn’t allowed in Australia, betting sites have adopted live betting via a phone call with a real person.
• Same game multi - One of the newest features in the industry is same game multi. This allows you to easily place a multi bet on any individual game, such as an AFL Grand Final. It’s also common for licensed bookmakers Australia to offer members’ betting promotions if they use this feature.
• Betting promotions for members - Betting sites will offer existing customers promotions or offers on the biggest sports and racing events on the calendar. This includes bonus bets, money back offers, deposit matching and more.
• Secure payment methods - You’ll want to deposit money or withdraw funds using secure payment methods. Betting sites offer a number of different payment options that are safe and secure. This can include credit cards, POLi, PayPal, bookmaker card and more.