Interactive Gambling Act 2001: what it bans, what it allows and the 2027 changes

What the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 does

The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA) is the federal law that sets which gambling services can be provided to people in Australia online, by phone or through any other telecommunications service. States and territories license gambling, but the IGA decides what can be delivered over the internet. Its approach is simple: everything that meets the definition of a gambling service is prohibited online unless it falls into a listed exclusion.

ACMA, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, enforces the Act. The federal Department of Infrastructure, which published the Gambling Reforms 2026 package, runs the policy. For what this means if you are thinking about playing, read our plain-English guide to whether online pokies are legal in Australia.

The key sections, explained

The Act is long, but a handful of sections do most of the work.

Offences and penalties

The penalties fall on the people who run, sell or promote illegal services:

• Providing a prohibited service (s 15): up to 5,000 penalty units for the offence, and a civil penalty of up to 7,500 penalty units for each day the contravention continues.
• Advertising: ACMA warned in June 2025 that promoting illegal online gambling, including by social media influencers and affiliate sites, breaks the law, with large civil penalties for people who facilitate access, for example through hyperlinks.
• Directors and principals: ACMA can report them to the border protection agency, which may place them on the Movement Alert List.

What the Act does not do is make playing an offence. The official review of the IGA stated that it "does not make it an offence for Australian customers to access and use prohibited interactive gambling services." The flip side is that a player has no Australian body to turn to if an offshore site refuses to pay.

How ACMA enforces the IGA

ACMA's investigations page lists its tools: a formal notice that someone broke the rules, an infringement notice, referral to police or the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, reports to border authorities, criminal charges or civil penalties, and requests that internet providers block websites. Its published cases show both sides of the market. Offshore casino brands such as Uptown Pokies and BitStarz were found to be providing prohibited and unlicensed services in 2021, and licensed bookmakers have been pursued for in-play breaches: Entain paid a $13,320 infringement notice in April 2023 for 78 in-play bets, and Tabcorp paid a $158,400 penalty in February 2026 for illegal in-play sports bets. The blocking side is covered on our ACMA blocked gambling sites page.

Milestones since 2019

The IGA has been amended many times since 2001, and enforcement has stepped up alongside it. These are the milestones that shape what punters see now:

Our guide to credit card gambling explains how the 2024 ban works in practice.

What the 2026 Act changes from 1 January 2027

Two parts of the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026 matter most to players.

Online keno becomes prohibited. Schedule 4 removes online keno that is not tied to a place, and foreign matched lotteries, from the excluded lottery services in section 8D. From 1 January 2027, online keno is a prohibited service; keno played at a venue, for example in a casino, can still be offered. A January 2026 government review noted online keno draws run every 3 minutes, and submissions said a player could spend up to $1,000 a draw, or $20,000 an hour. Our online keno guide covers the game and the odds.

Limits on inducements. Schedule 4A inserts a new Part 7D. Licensed wagering providers must not send direct marketing offering an inducement, or show inducement ads on social media, to "designated customers". Those are people whose account has been open 14 days or less, people who ended a BetStop registration (unless it was more than 90 days ago and they have since consented), and customers identified as at risk. An inducement is any payment or benefit that could reasonably be expected to induce someone to gamble, including credit, gifts, rebates, rewards, tokens and vouchers. Each contravention carries up to 1,000 penalty units. The Act also bans licensed wagering providers paying commissions tied to customer activity.

The government's Gambling Reforms 2026 package also covers wagering advertising during live sport and changes to BetStop. None of it creates a licence for online casinos or pokies.

Where the states come in

The IGA only decides what can be delivered online. Everything else, from how many pokies a pub can have to how much tax a bookmaker pays, is state and territory law. Our hub on gambling laws in Australia links to a guide for each jurisdiction, and if gambling is becoming a problem, our gambling help page lists free support.

Related reading

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