Register and play on international sites with valid licenses (MGA, UKGC, Isle of Man, Curacao, etc.). At land-based venues you can withdraw cash via ATMs, though it might be an idea to withdraw before you get there – some venues have limits on their ATMs smaller than the buy-in amount. While big bets are often placed, players rarely go all-in at the start of a hand. The two tournament formats also offer fixed, pot limit and no limit betting options – we explain below.
Although Joe Fortune does not offer online poker to Aussies, they have a complete suite of pokies and other casino games. It’s also the place I’d recommend most if you’re a fan of video poker, as there are a huge number of variants available including, Deuces Wild, Joker Poker and Bonus Poker as well as casino poker games like Oasis Poker. You won’t miss out on any of the activities that are available at other international poker sites, as Australians sit at the same cash games and tournaments as players from the rest of the world. The good news is players aren’t really directly affected by Australia’s online gambling laws, in that players can’t be penalized.
Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 (IGA)
The bar for being considered a professional gambler is rather high and tends to require more than just deriving most of your income from the game. September also witnessed the Southern Poker Tour – Spencer Gulf Steel Series www.qld.gov.au go down at the Westland Hotel Motel. The three-day tournament featured eight events and paid out over AU$25,000 in winnings, primarily to locals.
It proceeded to the Senate where one Senator, who did his research, attempted to fight the bill. Senator David Leyonhjlem introduced a secondary amendment to exclude online poker (and internet blackjack) from the bill. Among other things, visitors will find a daily dose of articles with the latest poker news, live reporting from tournaments, exclusive videos, podcasts, reviews and bonuses and so much more.
History of Online Poker in Australia
For this purpose, most of these sites have chosen the US dollar of the UK pound as a default currency, while all others are converted into and from them. Withdrawals are performed through the same channels, with each player being able to choose the one that they prefer. I can’t give you any tips as to which poker site you should choose because that depends solely on your gaming preferences. What I can do, however, is recommend a couple of noteworthy candidates, and let you decide if they have what it takes.
That was until 2017, where further changes effectively stopped any chance of playing online poker. The Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 was passed, which effectively banned any real money online poker games outright and closed all previous loopholes or workarounds. More recently, a review of the IGA suggested stopping the flow of money out of Australia. Australian companies should be able to receive licences to operate their own online poker rooms in the country. This would give Australians the option of playing on locally regulated and licensed sites. However, it appears gambling expansion and trials of online poker licensing does not have the political support for the go-ahead any time soon.
- However, there are still some high-quality online poker websites available; you just have to do a bit of digging.
- By specifying a different set of servers to use instead of their ISPs’ defaults, they can proceed directly to the sites they wish to play at without any hindrance from the government.
- Hence, they need to be able to process these transactions in multiple currencies.
- The impact of the IGA on online poker players in Australia has been significant.
- For example, online poker operators who are licensed by the Australian government are permitted to offer their services to Australian residents, provided they comply with the relevant regulations.
It is also worth noting that some online poker operators may be exempt from the ban if they can demonstrate that their services are not available to Australian residents. For example, operators who use geolocation technology to block access to their sites from Australian IP addresses may be considered exempt from the ban. However, these exemptions are subject to strict scrutiny, and operators who fail to comply with the regulations risk facing penalties and fines. As a result, many online poker operators have chosen to err on the side of caution and exclude Australian residents from their services altogether.
It’s important to be aware that the competition levels are high at most tournaments so be prepared. When choosing a poker site, look for platforms with a strong reputation, secure payment options, and good customer support. While offshore sites may be your primary option, it’s important to ensure that the site is trustworthy and has a history of treating players fairly. While many players use VPNs to access restricted poker sites, this practice comes with risks. If a poker site discovers that you are using a VPN to bypass its geographic restrictions, it may close your account and confiscate your funds. The ACMA has been particularly active in taking action against illegal gambling operators offering or promoting their services to Australians.
The Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) of 2001 is a federal law in Australia that regulates online gambling activities. Under this act, it is illegal for companies to provide online poker services to Australian players. However, it is not illegal for individual players to engage in online poker games. The Interactive Gaming Act is one of the national Australian gambling laws that regulates state-licensed online gambling in the country. One provision of this law is that online gambling sites that operate within Australian borders are not permitted to offer their services to Australian residents. Until recently, this was the only real restriction that Aussie poker players faced concerning online poker.
However, it’s not certain what will happen if you are a player and are discovered to be in breach of this act. While it’s unlikely you’ll be prosecuted, we strongly recommend to abide by this regulation. That’s been the case since the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 was introduced at the beginning of the century. Before that point, Australians had been able to play online poker freely without limitations. While that was enough to keep Australian firms from trying to start Internet poker sites, it did little to discourage most foreign operators from staying out of the market. Poker players usually use stable cryptocurrencies such as USDT Tether, although in the cashier of the sites, you will usually find other options such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin, among others.
However, there are still some high-quality online poker websites available; you just have to do a bit of digging. This RockySpin Casino means that you have fewer options as a player, but you can feel totally confident in playing at those sites that do remain available. This is because there’s nothing about Australian online poker law that targets individual players. All of the enforcement mechanisms are directed at the people and companies that actually run the sites, not their customers.