ACMA Blocks 9 More Online Gaming Sites
Over the past few years, the Australian Communications and Media Authority has been cracking down on what it views as illegal offshore gambling operators. The main tactic that the ACMA has used is asking Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block access to certain sites that offer gambling or advertise gambling marketed towards Australians.
On November 24, 2022, the ACMA blocked nine gambling websites as a part of its continued efforts to stop offshore gambling sites from offering their services to Australian players.
Details of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001
The Australian government first passed this piece of legislation back in 2001 in an effort to regulate and manage online gambling. Unfortunately, back in 2017, the Gambling Act was amended. The amendment was made specifically to combat offshore providers offering gambling to Australians.
The major problem here is that there is no system in place to allow offshore operators to offer their services, and these rules basically assert that any company offering gambling services over the internet to Australians is operating in breach of the Gambling Act, besides a small number of licensed sportsbooks.
It is our opinion that this firm stance that the ACMA has taken is only causing confusion and difficulties for consumers. By adding trustworthy operators to the blacklist, the ACMA is only muddying the waters. Players may end up playing at a shady site after being diverted away from trusted operators. By claiming that all online casinos are illegal and continuing to block certain sites, it can be quite confusing for Australian players to figure out which sites are reliable and trustworthy.
The ACMA Has Blocked Sites Repeatedly This Year
The ACMA has continually requested that Australian ISPs block access to sites in order to "protect Australians against illegal online gambling." In October of this year, the ACMA blocked sites including Las Atlantis and Cloudbet. In September, 15 sites were blocked and added to the blacklist.
The ACMA has also utilized a few other methods as a part of its efforts. In September of this year, the ACMA drafted a letter threatening a company known as Proxous for manufacturing and supplying games to supposedly illegal online casinos. The ACMA has also targeted affiliate marketing websites as a part of its enforcement efforts.
The Blocked Sites
As a part of its most recent enforcement actions, the ACMA has asked that all Australian ISPs block its citizens' access to the following websites:
- Winning Days
- Oshi Casino
- 21Bit Casino
- NeoSpin
- Lets Lucky
- Lucky Elf Casino
- Boho Casino
- BC.Game
- Ripper Casino
The BC.Game crypto casino website, one of the sites that has been added to the ACMA's blacklistBlocking websites in this manner has been the main tool used by the ACMA in its efforts to enforce the amended Interactive Gambling Act 2001. Since the first sites were blocked back in November of 2019, 642 sites have now been blocked and added to the blacklist.
Other Sites Have Preemptively Withdrawn From the Australian Market
In addition to the ACMA blocking Australian consumers' access to sites, numerous operators have already withdrawn from the Australian market entirely. PokerStars, PartyPoker, and 32Red have all reached similar conclusions in deciding not to offer their services to Australians any longer. More than 180 operators have withdrawn from the Australian market in total since 2019 when this type of enforcement action first began.
More than 180 Operators Have Stopped Serving Australian PatronsPlenty of Safe Options to Wager Online
The gambling landscape in Australia has certainly experienced a bit of a shift in recent years as the ACMA continues to block sites. Although it may appear as though the choices have dwindled, there are actually still numerous online operators that safely serve Australian customers.
For players who primarily enjoy playing casino games, including slots and table games, we would highly recommend visiting Joe Fortune Casino. Joe Fortune is a sister site to the ever-popular Bodog, Bovoada, and Ignition brands, and thus, it offers all of the same casino games, although there is no sportsbook or poker room available here.
If poker is more your focus, then Ignition Poker is an excellent option for Australian players. Ignition offers a wide range of cash games, fast-fold Zone Poker, as well as plenty of multi-table tournaments and sit-and-gos. You can also receive a poker welcome bonus of 150% of your initial crypto deposit.
Although the ACMA has continued its efforts against online gambling operators, there are still many other reliable options to play poker. If you reside in Australia and wish to learn more about the best options to play poker on the internet, please feel free to peruse this extensive guide to playing online poker in Australia.