Gambling Laws and Regulations Report 2026 Australia

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The AML/CTF Act also contains criminal provisions and it is possible that AUSTRAC may seek to apply these provisions in relation to non-compliance going forward. Whilst federal, state and territory laws and regulations are often capable of being contravened by directors and other officers of licensees, recent regulatory action has been taken against corporate licensees only. The Interactive Gambling Act contains restrictions that apply to Retail Wagering Licensees, Corporate Bookmakers and On-course Bookmakers in relation to live (or ‘in the run’) betting on sport. The use of digital currencies (including cryptocurrency) for gambling purposes is not common in the jurisdiction and, in the case of online wagering and betting, was expressly prohibited following amendments to the Interactive Gambling Act in 2024. Under the AML/CTF Act, certain gambling activities are classified as ‘designated services’ and, as such, reporting entities are required, among other things, to register with AUSTRAC, develop and maintain a compliant AML/CTF Program and report certain transactions to AUSTRAC, including by way of TTRs and SMRs.
The duration of major operator licences depends upon the legislative framework in the relevant state or territory and is subject to possible change upon a licence renewal or new licence being issued. An application for a Corporate Bookmaker Licence issued in the NT, or an application for an On-course Bookmaker Licence, typically takes between three and six months for approval and can be made at any time. The number of licences available are limited and there are typically only one per state and territory (except in the case of current casino licences held in each of Qld, NT and NSW, the two recently issued Vic keno licences, and potentially for new wagering licences) and the processes are very infrequent. The processes are generally quite extensive, and it can sometimes take up to 12 months or longer for state and territory gambling regulators to complete in relation to new applicants seeking major licences.
“It would be absurd if this conference did not allocate time to talk about it. The NSW gaming minister, David Harris, spoke in favour of the motion on Sunday. In his speech to delegates in favour of the motion, Morey, who has been confirmed on the party’s upper house ticket for next year, thanked the premier “who got involved a week or so ago”. It has been negotiated by the key right faction member and Unions NSW secretary, Mark Morey. The motion includes a commitment to a moratorium on licences for new machines, requiring clubs with profits of more than $20m on machines to pay more tax, and a commitment to “significantly reduce” the number of gaming machines in the state over 10 years. Senet extends its expertise to local lawyers and service providers without specific gambling law experience, as well as international lawyers and attorneys seeking guidance on Australian gambling law and regulation matters. Senet advises on competition and antitrust laws, particularly in relation to new product offerings, advertising campaigns and marketing policies.
The total machine count in the state — approximately 2,500 — is a fraction of NSW’s 87,298 or Queensland’s 21,122. Crown Melbourne sits outside the per-venue machine cap and operates under an exclusive casino licence with separate compliance obligations. The recent regulatory motion in NSW is mostly defensive. Sports betting and racing wagering are legal online when the operator holds an Australian licence, typically Northern Territory-issued. There is no deposit bonus payid casino nationwide ban, but there are regulatory bans on certain types of casino games. The current gambling laws in NSW, Australia are that they heavily focus on harm reduction, licensing, and anti-money laundering. The federal government regulates online gambling services, whereas the state and territory governments regulate land-based casino licensing and venue-based gambling activities.
Senet keeps clients informed about changes in existing regulations or the introduction of new ones. The firm offers guidance during regulatory investigations by local gambling authorities, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the Australian Transactions Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), law enforcement agencies and other statutory bodies. Senet provides counsel on corporate structuring and compliance with regulatory requirements. This includes guidance on industry-specific regulatory regimes, licence applications, renewals, variations and interactions with regulatory authorities. The firm aids innovative gambling businesses and their products successfully enter the market by collaborating with these businesses and their advisers throughout every stage of the gambling licensing process. This network provides the firm with insights that inform better regulatory, corporate and commercial outcomes tailored to its clients’ needs and expectations. Senet is entrenched within the gambling industry, with close relationships with international gambling regulators, law firms, private equity entities and other investors through participation in industry conferences.
These are structural friction additions designed to slow the velocity of money through pokies and to give problem gamblers built-in pause points. The state-licensed online services available — NSW Lotteries (now Tabcorp-operated) and TAB NSW — cover lottery and wagering only, not casino games. The fiscal contribution is correspondingly large — AU$8.18 billion in player losses in FY22-23 makes NSW the highest-loss-per-capita jurisdiction in Australia and one of the highest globally. 87,298 machines across 2,195 venues represent about 46 percent of the national total, concentrated in clubs and hotels across the state. What does change state-by-state is land-based pokies — machine counts, venue rules, maximum-bet caps, cash-input limits, mandatory pre-commitment schemes, and self-exclusion frameworks. The Australian resident who deposits at an offshore casino is outside the scope of s.15.
The authority helps entrepreneurs set up a business and receive a license, hire workers, and handle legislative concerns. This region has also adopted the Code of Practice, and the Interactive Gambling Act 1998 with a bit outdated rules related to online casinos. The Commonwealth focuses on global issues like problems of irresponsible gambling, expansion of interactive betting services, and suggestions for territories. Instead, during the section of the conference dedicated to country Labor issues, Angus McFarland, secretary of the left-aligned Australian Services Union (ASU), stood up with a motion to bring forward the discussion of social justice and legal affairs. The entire left faction had backed a motion for two laws to be scrapped, but the slot for discussion was placed second last on Sunday’s agenda by organisers, leaving it unlikely to be reached, which critics claimed was a move to silence debate. In an awkward moment for the state government on Sunday, the Labor left briefly hijacked the conference agenda to force a debate on motions submitted by 56 local branches to repeal protest laws. Although Minns is not compelled to legislate the policy in the motion, the move comes as Labor is trying to project unity ahead of next March’s state election.
Victoria becomes the first state with statewide mandatory carded play from 1 December 2025, which is the strictest player-side reform any state has implemented even if the total machine count remains larger than WA or ACT. The asymmetry is structural and longstanding — the Act has never criminalised consumer behaviour and was never drafted to. The leading cases are Brimson v Federal Commissioner of Taxation and Babka v Federal Commissioner of Taxation, both of which set a high bar. The ATO treats casual gambling as a windfall — analogous to a lottery prize — rather than as income from a business or profession.