Online Casino Australia – Online Pokies

How Do Online Casinos in Australia Work?

If you’re new to the world of online gambling, you may be wondering how online casinos work. The good news is that they’re very accessible and playing at them is a straightforward process:

1. First of all, you need to choose a casino to sign up to. There are loads available in Australia and to help find one that’s suitable for you, it’s a good idea to read some reviews and recommendations.
2. When you’ve decided on a casino, you’ll have to create an account. To do this, visit the casino and you should see a button that says ‘Register’ or ‘Sign Up’ or something similar. This brings up the registration form that you have to fill out in order to get your account set up. The form asks you for some basic personal details, such as your name, age and address; it also requires you to enter a username and password.
3. When the form’s filled out, your account is created and you’re now free to deposit money into it using one of the casino’s accepted payment methods.
4. When money’s in your account, you can play the casino’s games.

Just about every online casino has a welcome package that gives you bonuses when you make your first deposit, or even your first few. When you make your first deposit, you’ll be able to claim a bonus that you can use to play for free and still have a chance of winning real money.

That’s how online casinos work in a nutshell. You find one that suits your needs, sign up, fund your account and start playing. Since the registration process is usually quick and easy, and deposits are nearly always instant, it takes very little time for you to become an online casino member and start playing games.

What Is an Australian Online Casino (Online Casino Australia)?

When we refer to an Australian online casino with online pokies on these pages we are not necessarily talking about an online casino which is based in Australia. Instead, these are casinos which:

• make players from Australia welcome, including those casinos which offer online pokies and bonuses to Aussie players
• also lay on the type of payment methods that makes it easier for residents of Australia to make hassle-free deposits and withdrawals.

Not every online casino will allow Australians to join, but the Casino Gorilla has picked out some of his favourite Australian online casinos..

Can Australian Casino Players Play Online

The main law governing online gambling in Australia is the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001. This law prohibits offering real money online interactive gambling to Australian residents. The same Act made it illegal for companies to advertise real money gambling services to Australian citizens. However, the Act does not apply to:

1. Australian based sports betting companies
2. Australian based lottery betting companies
3. It also does not prevent any Australian citizen from gambling online, and states clearly that there is no punishment for doing so

In other words, it is perfectly legal for Aussies to play at online casinos.

There are many different factors to take into consideration when it comes to choosing the ideal online casino. The Casino Gorilla has investigated and reviewed hundreds of online casinos accepting Australian players, and so knows exactly what to look for. The following list gives some examples of the kind of information that the big guy seeks out before recommending an online casino to Australian players:

Is Online Gambling Popular in Australia?

Aussies love to gamble. In fact, more than 80% of adults living in Australia regularly engage in some form of gambling. This is the world’s highest gambling rate by far. Gambling is a big part of the culture in Australia and many people have a relaxed attitude towards it. Pokies (physical slot machines) are incredibly popular throughout the country and they account for nearly two-thirds of all money spent on gambling by Aussies.

Online gambling isn’t as big as real-world gambling, but it’s very much an important and growing market in its own right. Hundreds of millions of Australian dollars are spent at gambling sites every year. While many Aussies have easy access to a land-based casino, online casinos are a lot more convenient since they give you the opportunity to gamble from home. Mobile casinos take this further by enabling you to gamble while on the move.

Australia’s online gambling market is steadily growing. During 2020 as the country faced restrictions due to COVID-19, online gambling’s popularity naturally increased. People were unable to visit land-based casinos and other similar venues, so they went online to get their gambling fix instead.

A Brief History of Online Casinos in Australia

The very first real-money online casino software was released by the provider Microgaming in 1994. Back then, the internet was very young and websites were considerably more basic than the sites we’re used to visiting today. Over the years, online casinos grew in number and they steadily became more advanced, offering more features, a more user friendly interface and, perhaps most importantly, more games.

The Australian government wasn’t sure how to approach the growing online gambling market. Its approach to regular forms of gambling was liberal. However, it didn’t initially accept online gambling fearing a decrease in revenue. If people were to gamble online, they’d be spending less money on other things and the government would therefore have less money to spend.

In 2001, the government confirmed its stance on online gambling when it unveiled the Interactive Gambling Act.

• This piece of legislation let people know exactly how the government intended to treat the act of gambling online, though it wasn’t exactly straightforward.
• According to the act, it’s illegal for online casinos to accept people living in Australia.
• However, sports betting sites are exempt: they can legally have Aussies sign up and use their services, though only pre-match betting is permitted.

The act of gambling online isn’t illegal. Therefore, Aussies who place bets at online casinos aren’t breaking any laws and won’t get punished. If anyone’s at fault, it’s the operator for letting Aussies sign up and gamble. What’s interesting is that sites based in Australia are required to obey the law, though sites based in other countries aren’t. An online casino based in the UK, for example, can accept people from Australia without any risk of getting in trouble with the country’s regulatory authorities.

Australians can gamble online as much as they like and they won’t be doing anything illegal. Compared with other countries, the Australian government’s approach to online gambling is very tolerant indeed. Thanks to this lax approach, online gambling has been able to grow and become a hugely popular activity in Australia. People in the country have access to many of the biggest, newest and most highly rated online casinos around, not to mention a massive number of games.

Online Casino Australia: Remote Gaming Legislation

As with many territories, the rules governing online gambling in Australia are somewhat complex. As previously stated, the IGA was introduced to stop international gambling sites from accepting Australian players, but the wording was unclear and so if companies simply refrained from advertising their services they were able to accept Aussie players.

In 2017 an Amendment to the 2001 Act introduced fines for any online gambling sites that accepted Australian members. This caused many major providers to leave the online casino market in Australia, but many more reputable sites continue to allow Australians to sign up with them.

There is still absolutely no penalty for Australian online players, as the Act and Amendment are only concerned with the online casino providers.

Best Online Casino in Australia

So what’s the best online casino in Australia? Everyone has their own preferences and tastes, so your own favourite might be completely different from someone else’s.

• To find the best casino, you’ve simply got to check out lots of different ones with your favourite online pokies and see which ones suit your needs the most.

Aussie online casinos vary greatly in what they offer. Each casino you’ll come across has a different line-up of online pokies and different bonuses to claim, for example. If you’re living in Australia, you have access to lots of fantastic casinos. This is great because there are loads of casinos to choose from. However, since there’s so much choice it can be hard whittling down the list and deciding on a casino to sign up to. That’s why when looking for a new casino to play at, it’s a good idea to think about what you want most from a casino.

The best casino for you will be one that has everything you yourself want. You’ve simply got to look at what different Aussie casinos are offering and find one that offers what you’re after. Thankfully, with there being so many online casinos available to Aussie players, you’re sure to find a casino that suits your needs.

The Casino Gorilla knows what his favourite casinos are. What are yours? Try out some Australian online casinos and see which ones appeal to you the most. You’re sure to have a brilliant time checking out what these casinos have to offer. Remember to see what promotions are on offer and make the most of them while you can.

Here is the best online casino for Australian players right now:

	Online Casino	First Deposit Bonus	Read review and play
	BoVegas Casino	$25 Free Chip + 250% Slots Match	Review

New Online Casinos in Australia 2023

Australian players already have access to lots of fantastic online casinos, including many of the best, most popular ones in the world. Thankfully, the number of online casinos in Australia is only getting bigger. There are new casinos launching all the time – the Casino Gorilla can’t keep up with them all

Due to the gambling laws in Australia being quite complex, not every online casino accepts players from Australia. However, there are still more than enough new online casinos that welcome Aussies. If you’re living in Australia, you’ll have access to lots of top-quality online casinos with all sorts of thrilling casino games on offer.

Have a look on this page to see some of the newest casinos available to Aussies. You’ll find some pretty good ones listed here. These casinos have:

1. loads of exciting online pokies to play
2. lots of generous bonuses to claim
3. plenty of banking options
4. great customer service
5. options for mobile gambling

Should you stick with casinos you’ve already signed up to or try out some of the new ones? The newest Australian online casinos do look really good, so we recommend checking them out. The Casino Gorilla loves nothing more than trying out a new casino – he recommends you do the same.

Here is our favorite new online casino for Australian players:

	Online Casino	First Deposit Bonus	Read review and play
	King Billy Casino	Welcome Pack at King Billy Casino: $ 2500 + 250 Free Spins	Review

Bonuses for Australian Casino Players

Australian players should expect to find a generous welcome bonus awaiting them when they sign up and deposit with our recommended Australian online casinos. We want all of our loyal readers to be rewarded, which is why we seek out the best bonus offers with the most favorable wagering requirements. There is nothing quite like playing with house money, which is why the Casino Gorilla also keeps an eye out for regular ongoing promotions and loyalty plans which reward Australian players for spending time on their online casino of choice.

Online Casinos for Australians with No Deposit Bonus

One of the best things about online casinos for Australians is the bonuses that are on offer. Since there are so many casinos, these bonuses can get quite competitive indeed. After all, bonuses are a way of attracting new players and encouraging them to sign up. If a casino offers a bonus that’s better than what others are offering, it’s likely going to get more new players to sign up.

A type of bonus offered by lots of Australian online casinos is the no deposit bonus.

• As its name suggests, this is a bonus you can claim with no deposit required.
• All you’ve got to do is sign up to the casino then you’ll be eligible to claim this bonus.
• There’s no deposit of real money into your casino account required at all.

No deposit bonuses typically reward you with:

1. a small amount of bonus money or
2. a small number of free spins

The aim of these bonuses is simply to give new players a chance to try out the casino; they basically offer a free preview. If you claim a no deposit bonus and like the casino, you’ve already got your account set up so you can go ahead and deposit money into your account. If, on the other hand, you’re not too fond of the casino you’ve claimed the no deposit bonus at, you can simply play elsewhere instead and you won’t have lost any real money.

Once you’ve played through a casino’s no deposit bonus, you’ll then be able to claim the welcome offer.

• For this bonus, you will usually have to deposit some money into your casino account.
• You should then receive some bonus money and/or free spins.
• The number of free spins you receive, if any, is usually set.
• As for bonus money, the amount you receive usually depends on how much money you deposit.

Not every Australian online casino has a no deposit bonus waiting for you to claim. All of them, however, will have some sort of bonus available for when you make your first deposit. Some may even offer bonuses for your first few deposits to use for online pokies.

Claiming Free Spins at Australian Online Casinos

Free spins are a type of bonus that let you play online pokies for free. Receive a bundle of spins and you can use them on online pokies. Even though you’re not actually paying for the spins, you can still win real money if you’re lucky enough.

Most online casinos in Australia offer free spins:

• Just about every casino has a welcome bonus that’s designed to encourage new players to sign up.
• Welcome packages typically reward you with bonus money (free casino credit), free spins or both when you make your first deposit.
• Some welcome packages even have bonuses lined up for several deposits after your first.

Many casino sites give out free spins to existing players as well. For example, a casino might run a limited-time promotion offering free spins, or it might give players the chance to earn some spins from a loyalty scheme or VIP club.

For most free spins offers, you’ll have to make a deposit into your casino account for the spins to be given to you. However, this isn’t the case for no deposit bonuses. As the name suggests, a no deposit bonus is a special type of offer where you can claim a bonus without needing to make a deposit. You can still win real money with these bonuses, though you’ll need to make a deposit into your casino account and satisfy other requirements before you can cash out any winnings.

There are always lots of free spins promotions being run by Australian online casinos. Finding the right bonus – not to mention the right casino – can be quite a time-consuming task. Stick with us and we’ll show you the best of the best. We’ve put in the hours and done the work so you don’t have to. We’ll point you in the direction of the best casinos and will list the best free spins offers right here on our site.

Here are the top 3 online casinos and their free spins offers for Australian players:

	Online Casino	First Deposit Bonus	Free Spins Offer	Read review and play
	PlayToro Casino	100 % / £50 + 25 Free Spins	Get 25 free spins on Wild Toro slot game.	Review
	Two-Up Casino	300% + 55 Free Spins	Get 50 free spins on Coyote Cash slot game.	Review
	Vegas Crest Casino	200% / $1000 + 100 Free Spins	Claim 50 free spins on Dragon and Phoenix video slot.	Review

The Top Games at Australian Online Casinos

At online casinos in Australia, you’ll find a broad range of games to play. The typical casino has at lest a few hundred games listed.  Most of these are pokies – they’re the most common type of game by far – while others include:

• table and card games (blackjack, roulette, poker and baccarat)
• live dealer games (real-life versions of table and card games)
• other games, such as scratchcards, video poker, bingo and keno, virtual sports and arcade-style games.

When you sign up to an online casino, you should be able to play most of the casino’s games for free.

• You can try them out without having to pay and see which ones you want to spend real money gambling on.
• Free play is also great for games that involve decision-making, such as blackjack and poker, because you can try out different strategies and get to know how the game works for no cost at all.

If you want a chance at winning real money, you’ll have to play with real money or use a casino bonus. Betting limits vary from one game to the next. Most casinos’ games cater for a broad range of people, from complete beginners and those on a budget, to more experienced players and those with lots of money to spend.

Most online casinos make it easy for you to find particular games you’re after:

• When you’re at the games page, there should be a search field you can use to quickly locate games you’re looking to play.
• The collection should be arranged into various categories, such as New, Popular and type-based ones including Pokies (or Slots), Table Games, Live Games and so on. T
• here may also be a filter that lets you sort games by provider.

Even though casinos have hundreds or even thousands of games, they make it easy for you to find games suitable for you.

Here are two excellent online casinos games for Australian players:

	Game	Payout Percentage	Further Information	Read Review
	Mega Moolah	94,5 %	Game Manufacturer: Microgaming. Publish Date: 2006. Jackpot: There are four different levels of progressive jackpot to play.	Review
	Gonzo’s Quest	96%	Game Manufacturer: NetEnt. Publish Date: 2010. Jackpot: The top jackpot prize is 87,500 coins.	Review

Best Payment Methods to Use at Australian Online Casinos

At the typical online casino in Australia, you can use a wide selection of payment methods to fund your account and make withdrawals from it. The line-up of accepted payment methods varies from one casino to the next, though most of them tend to accept at least half a dozen or so. Some of the different types of payment methods you can use for online gambling in Australia include:

• credit cards and debit cards
• e-wallets
• prepaid cards
• bank transfers
• cryptocurrencies

Some payment methods can only be used for deposits and not withdrawals, or vice versa. If you make a deposit using a payment method that you can’t make withdrawals with, you’ll be asked to use another payment method, usually a bank transfer, to withdraw your money.

Deposit and withdrawal times:

• Deposits are nearly always instant.
• When you confirm the deposit, the money should then be added to your casino account immediately.
• As for withdrawals, they’re not instant.
• It can take less than a day to several days or longer for your money to reach you.

The amount of time you have to wait depends on two factors:

1. the casino’s processing time
2. the payment method you’re using

The processing time is how long it takes a casino to process withdrawal requests. This can be a few hours to a few days, it’s never more than three full days. A casino’s processing time is the same no matter what payment method you’re using. At some casinos, if you’re a VIP you’ll get faster processing times.

Once your withdrawal request has been processed, the payment method you’re using determines how long you then have to wait for your money to get to you. If it’s an e-wallet you’re using, you shouldn’t have to wait long at all, though for bank cards the wait can be several working days. If you’re curious about how long it should take your withdrawn money to reach you, check the casino’s banking page. This should list processing and wait times for individual payment methods. If you can’t find this information anywhere, contact customer support.

The best payment methods to use at Australian online casinos are e-wallets:

• This is because they offer very fast withdrawal times.
• When using an e-wallet, you should get your money on the same day that your withdrawal request is processed by the casino.

Australian Licensed Online Casinos

The Casino Gorilla wants all readers to be safe and secure whenever they gamble online. That’s why he’ll only ever recommend casinos that are licensed. If a casino has a license, that means it’s been checked over and reviewed by a third-party regulatory authority and has been deemed safe to play at. Play at a licensed casino and you should have no major problems. You’ll be pleased to hear that pretty much every online casino that’s available to Aussies is fully licensed.

The laws concerning online gambling in Australia aren’t the most straightforward.

• Basically, you as a player will never be punished for gambling online.
• You’re free to gamble online in Australia as much as you like and you’ll never be prosecuted or fined or anything like that.
• The laws are targeted at those who offer online gambling services, not you the player.
• If anyone’s going to be prosecuted, it will be the casino operator.

Before signing up to an online casino Australia, check to make sure it’s got a license:

• You should find evidence of a license towards the bottom of the webpage.
• If you can’t find it anywhere, you should sign up somewhere else instead, just to be on the safe side.

If you’re on the lookout for a new Australian online casino to sign up to, we’ve got you covered. You’ll find plenty of casinos listed here and all of them are fully licensed. You should hopefully never have any major problems at any of the casinos you find on this site.

How Do Australian Online Casinos Stay Safe?

It’s reasonable to feel concerned about your safety when gambling online for real money. After all, you’re effectively handing over your money and you’re not sure if you’re going to get any of it back. Thankfully, the vast majority of online casinos you can access in Australia are perfectly safe and sound.

When you visit an online casino, you should first of check it has a licence. You should find information about this displayed near the bottom of each page. You’ll either see text confirming where the casino has obtained its licence from, or you’ll see a logo belonging to a regulatory authority. If in doubt, contact customer support.

It’s important for any type of gambling site to be licensed:

• Having a licence is a sign that a site has been independently checked over by a regulatory authority and has been given the approval to offer its real-money online gambling services.
• If a casino you come across doesn’t have a licence, it may not be safe or trustworthy.

Consider these things as well when choosing an online casino:

• You should also check that the casino you’re about to sign up to uses adequate security measures, such as SSL encryption, and that a random number generator is used to ensure game outcomes are always random.
• Another thing worth checking is customer support: ideally, there should be several ways of getting in touch and customer support should be available most of the day at least. If there’s no support available, or its hours are very limited, or you try to get in touch but don’t hear back from anyone, this is a sign that the casino may not be reliable.

Remember to do a quick check before signing up to a casino to make sure it’s safe and reputable. Reading reviews is a good way of seeing whether or not a site can be trusted. If you’re at a casino and something looks wrong or something untoward happens, don’t hesitate to leave and play somewhere else instead. With most online casinos in Australia being trustworthy and secure, this shouldn’t happen.

Tips and Winning Strategies for Australian Casino Players

You rarely see casinos going broke, which is why it is important for real money players to maximize their opportunities to win at the casino. There is no magic solution or miracle strategy to allow you to win cash from casino gaming, no matter what you may read on obscure corners of the internet. The best policy is:

• to choose your games carefully,
• going for the ones that offer the best chances of success,
• and to take advantage of casino bonus offers for online pokies whenever you can.

Above all, never bet with money that you cannot afford to lose. At the end of the day, casino gaming is about fun and excitement and should never be seen as a guaranteed way to make money. Enjoy your casino gaming and accept the losses as well as the victories, because both are going to happen.

Australia’s Land-Based Casinos

Australia is home to over 20 casinos, not to mention several hundred smaller venues that have pokie machines for people to play. There’s at least one casino in each of the country’s six states. It’s estimated that as much as 10% of every state’s revenue comes from gambling. Some of the major casinos in Australia include:

• The Reef Hotel Casino in Cairns, Queensland
• The Star Gold Coast in Gold Coast, Queensland
• Crown Melbourne in Southbank (Melbourne), Victoria
• Crown Perth in Perth, Western Australia
• The Star, Pyrmont (Sydney), New South Wales

The largest casino in Australia is Crown Melbourne. This expansive casino resort is located on the southern bank of the Yarra River. The complex has three hotels with a fourth under construction, and there are over 1,600 rooms and suites. There several high-end stores and restaurants, plus some nightclubs and bars. Other on-site attractions include a bowling alley, laser tag, an arcade and a ballroom.

As for the casino itself, it’s home to over 3,500 pokie machines and an array of gaming tables offering everything from blackjack and baccarat, to poker, craps, roulette and more. It also plays host to some major international poker tournaments, such as World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific.

The Future of Online Casinos in Australia

As mentioned previously, online casinos are currently very popular in Australia thanks to the country’s relaxed approach to gambling. It’s safe to say that in the future, the laws to do with online gambling should be just as free as they are today. It’s completely legal for Aussies to gamble at online casinos and that should very likely be the case indefinitely.

The online casino industry is showing no signs of slowing down.

• There are always new casinos being built up and new games being developed.
• While there are already loads of great casinos and games to choose from, there’s always demand for even more choice.
• Over the coming years, Aussies can look forward to having a large number of casinos to choose from, as well as considerably more games to play.

In the past decade or so, the online casino industry has welcomed a number of innovative changes. One of the major new features is virtual reality:

• That is, using a specially designed headset to make it seem like you’re at a proper casino even though you’re at home.
• Virtual reality casinos are steadily gaining in popularity and though they probably won’t be as commonplace as mobile casinos, for example, they’re still very much something worth keeping an eye on.

Online casino games have come a long way since being invented. The games coming out these days tend to be highly advanced with crisp, realistic graphics, immersive gameplay, exciting features and a range of user friendly settings and tools. Players can look forward to games getting even more sophisticated and being designed to an even higher standard than they are now.