ACT gambling laws: club pokies, the $250 ATM limit and Australia's highest betting tax

ACT gambling laws: what applies in Canberra

ACT gambling laws are run by a single regulator, the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission, which draws its authority from the Gambling and Racing Control Act 1999. Under that Act, the Commission has made a Code of Practice that sets minimum standards every gambling provider must meet. Below it sit separate Acts for each product.

Poker machines in the ACT

Gaming machines in the ACT are licensed by class and by number, and the law is built to shrink the total over time. Changes that commenced on 31 August 2015 introduced an open market trading scheme for machine authorisations with a phased reduction in the number of machines. Part 2A of the Gaming Machine Act is headed "Reducing cap on authorisations to 3 500 or fewer", and it set up a voluntary surrender scheme in which licensees could hand back authorisations between 23 August 2018 and 31 January 2019. The Commission publishes monthly trading scheme statistics if you want the current count.

ACT venues spent less on pokies than most of the country. In 2024-25, ACT adults lost $499 each on club and hotel machines, against $808 nationally and $1,344 in NSW, according to the national gambling statistics series. The ACT collected $38 million in gaming machine taxes that year.

Cash and visibility rules

Three rules in the Gaming Machine Act stand out because they deal with the moment someone wants more money to gamble:

1. No cash facility in a gaming area. A licensee commits an offence if a cash facility is provided inside a gaming area (maximum 50 penalty units, six months' imprisonment or both). If the separation is not good enough, the Commission can order barriers.
2. $250 ATM limit. At premises authorised for more than 20 machines, it is an offence if the venue's ATMs let a single debit or credit card withdraw more than $250 in total on a gaming day. A temporary ATM at the Canberra Racing Club on race days is exempt.
3. Out of sight. It is an offence if a gaming machine, or its equipment, can be seen from outside the premises.

If you would like a limit of your own that holds everywhere, our gambling limits guide explains the options.

The ACT also adopted version 12.1 of the Australian/New Zealand Gaming Machine National Standard on 12 March 2026, which sets the technical rules for new machines.

Casino Canberra

The ACT has one licensed casino, at 21 Binara Street in Civic. The licence was issued on 23 December 2014 under section 22 of the Casino Control Act 2006, and the Commission's casino page names Aquis Canberra Pty Ltd as the licensee. The Casino (Electronic Gaming) Act 2017 changed that: since 13 May 2018, gaming machines and fully automated table games can operate at the casino, but only after the licensee applies for an authorisation certificate backed by a social impact assessment. ACT casino spending is small by national standards: $41.15 million in 2024-25.

The ACT betting tax: 25%

The ACT charges the highest betting tax we found in Australia. Bookmakers self-assess a point of consumption tax on net wagering revenue from ACT customers.

On $10 million of net ACT wagering revenue, a bookmaker would pay about $2.46 million at the 25% rate, against $1.48 million at the 15% rate SA and WA use with the same threshold, in our calculation. The tax is the bookmaker's cost. For how your own winnings are treated, see our gambling tax in Australia guide.

Online gambling and Canberra

The ACT has its own Interactive Gambling Act 1998, but it cannot override the federal Interactive Gambling Act 2001, which bans offering online pokies and casino games to anyone in Australia. Licensed online betting on sport and racing is legal, with the usual national rules: no online in-play sports betting, no credit cards or crypto, and BetStop for every licensed bookmaker. Our guide on whether online pokies are legal in Australia explains the federal law, and betting sites in Australia covers licensed bookmakers. For the other states, see gambling laws in Australia.

Help in the ACT

The ACT Gambling Support Service is free on 1800 858 858. The Commission publishes guidance for venues on excluding people from gambling, and our self-exclusion guide explains the national options.

Related reading

Guide Queensland Queensland caps pokies per venue and statewide, rewrote its casino law in 2024 to force carded play, and charges bookmakers a 20% betting tax, above the 15% most states use. Here is how it all works. Read more Guide NSW NSW has more poker machines than any other state and has changed its rules fast since 2023. Here is who regulates gambling in NSW, what the pokies rules are now, and what changed when. Read more Guide Victoria Victoria passed a carded play law in 2025, already makes Crown players use a card with loss limits, and caps every venue at 105 machines. Here is what the rules are, who enforces them and what is still being rolled out. Read more Guide SA SA limits every venue to 40 pokies, bans $100 notes in machines and makes larger venues use facial recognition to spot barred gamblers. Here is how gambling in SA is regulated and what changed at the casino in 2026. Read more Guide Tasmania Tasmania caps pokies bets at $5, keeps note acceptors out of pubs and clubs and sets an 87% minimum return. A plan for a mandatory player card was deferred in 2024. Here is how gambling in Tasmania is regulated. Read more Guide WA WA is the only state with no poker machines in pubs and clubs. Electronic gaming machines exist in one place, the Perth casino, and since December 2025 every player there needs a card with time and loss limits. Read more