ACMA Blocks Bet US and Wild Blaster Casino

The ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) has repeatedly taken steps to block access to specific gambling sites that it claims are operating in violation of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

On Oct. 25, 2023, the ACMA blocked two additional gambling sites. The ACMA has requested the Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) block citizens' access to these unapproved and supposedly illegal gambling websites.

To find out more regarding the ACMA and this most recent enforcement action, please feel free to continue reading our detailed article covering this topic and prior ACMA intervention below.

The ACMA Enforces Gambling Laws and Regulations

When it comes to gambling activities, the ACMA is primarily responsible for governing all online gambling in Australia. The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 was amended back in 2016 to adjust restrictions and disallow offshore gambling operations from offering their services to Australians.

The Gambling Act prohibits all offshore operators from offering gambling to citizens of Australia unless they're licenced by a competent Australian authority. However, there is no mechanism in place to properly licence offshore operators besides a few sportsbook operations.

Due to this restrictive enforcement by the ACMA, Australian customers may be unclear as to the legitimacy or legality of online gaming sites. Unfortunately, the ACMA often blocks access to highly reputable sites, like Comic Play Casino. The issue here is that Australians can still easily bypass these restrictions and access numerous gambling sites whether they be trustworthy or somewhat shady in nature.

The ACMA is responsible for enforcing the IGA 2001 in Australia

Information About the Blocked Sites

The ACMA has ordered Australian ISPs to block access to two more gambling sites offering gambling services to players in Australia. The ACMA has made it clear that offshore gambling operators are not allowed to cater to Australians. As a result, the ACMA has added the following two sites to the blacklist of blocked gambling and affiliate sites.

• BetUS
• Wild Blaster

The ACMA has long asserted that it will continue to block sites in this fashion in an attempt to enforce the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. The success of these efforts is questionable at best, but the ACMA seems determined to continue blocking sites.

By taking a look at the Bet US website, we can see how the site operates and what kinds of gambling are available. As you can tell, Bet US is a full-fledged sportsbook, racebook, and casino gambling site.

BetUS sportsbook and gambling website

The other site that was blocked, Wild Blaster Casino, is a casino-only gambling site. It offers slots, table games, live dealer table games, video poker, and other specialty gambling titles.

Sites Join a Long Blacklist

As we have previously reported numerous times here at ProfessionalRakeback.com, the ACMA has been adding gambling and affiliate marketing sites to the blacklist with a high rate of consistency.

The ACMA first started to enforce the updated gambling regulations in 2017. By 2019, the ACMA began to block access to sites by ordering Australian ISPs to prevent citizens from accessing certain sites. 863 supposedly illegal gambling and affiliate sites are now present on the ACMA's extensive blacklist extensive blacklist of blocked sites.

In addition, many operators have pre-emptively made the decision to cease serving Australian consumers. According to the ACMA, 218 services have voluntarily withdrawn from the Australian market.

The ACMA Continues Enforcement

As we have discussed many times on this website, the ACMA continues to block access to offshore gambling operators catering to Australian players. In September, the ACMA blocked 5 sites including ViperSpin casino. Only one month prior in August, the ACMA blocked another group of sites.

This kind of enforcement action has been happening with rapid consistency dating back to 2019. Earlier this year, the ACMA blocked Zen brands and eleven other sites. Back in February, the ACMA blocked Pokie Surf.

The reality is that these enforcement efforts are highly questionable as to their success. Ever since the ACMA started this kind of enforcement, sites have found many easy ways to circumvent these bans, including creating new URLs and having players alter their DNS settings.

The ACMA has also resorted to even less effective methods of enforcement of late, like when the ACMA issued a formal warning to Best Bookies for offering a supposedly illegal online sportsbook to Australians. Issuing warnings doesn't seem to be very effective especially considering that the investigation took a long while to conclude.

Online Casino Gaming and Poker Still Present in Australia

The ACMA's recent efforts to enforce online gambling laws have certainly had a bit of an impact, but despite its efforts, online gambling and poker are still an option for Australian players.

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Perhaps you are more interested in playing online poker as opposed to casino gambling. If so, then you may want to browse over to this comprehensive page dedicated to the best Australian online poker sites.