ACMA Blocks 5 Online Gaming Sites, Including Slotastic

As a part of standard business practices for the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority), the agency has banned another five supposedly illegal gambling sites through Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

The ACMA Regulates Australian Gambling

Australian gambling is primarily governed by the ACMA. The ACMA is responsible for enforcing gambling laws and regulations specifically relating to the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) of 2001, which was amended and strengthened back in 2016.

The Interactive Gambling Act was altered back in 2016 by making the rules clearer and squeezing offshore operators out of the Australian market. The Act bans any and all offshore operators from offering casino gaming to Australian citizens. Besides a few sportsbook operators, any other offshore gambling operators have been deemed to be illegal and operating in violation of the IGA.

The ACMA enforces Australian Gambling Laws

Info About the Blocked Sites

All five of the sites that the ACMA has blocked this time around operate with extremely similar business models. These sites offer casino gaming, like slots and table games, to citizens residing in Australia.

The ACMA has made it abundantly clear that offshore operators are not allowed to offer casino gambling services to Australians without holding valid licensure, and there is no method in place that would allow these operators to obtain such a license.

There are only five sites that have been blocked this time around. The ACMA orders Australian ISPs to stop allowing Australians to access these sites and the ISPs abide by these requests. The five blocked sites are indicated below:

• Slotastic
• Reef Reels
• Slots Gallery
• Royal Reels
• Ricky Casino

By examining the most popular site blocked, Slotastic, we can get a feel for what these sites have to offer and how they conduct business. All of these sites are very similar in that they boast casino gaming like slots, video poker, table games, and more.

Slotastic is one of the sites banned by the ACMA

New Five Join a Horde

The five sites covered above have been banned by the ACMA following a detailed investigation. The ACMA has been frequently banning sites in this manner dating back to around November 2019 when this kind of enforcement first started taking place.

More than 200 gambling and poker services have preemptively withdrawn from the Australian market, and there are now a total of 803 gambling and affiliate marketing websites on the blacklist of blocked sites.

The ACMA Refuses to Let Up

Over the course of the past four years, we have seen the ACMA come down hard on numerous online gambling providers and block hundreds of sites it claims are operating illegally. Back in June of this year, the ACMA blocked twelve gambling sites, including Zen Casino. Only one month prior, the agency blocked three gaming sites and issued a formal warning to CS:GO Roll.

Toward the beginning of this year in February, the agency blocked six additional gambling sites. Only one month later, the agency blocked another seven gaming sites and an affiliate.

The success of the ACMA's efforts is marginal at best. Australians can easily utilise VPNs or adjust their DNS settings to circumvent these imposed restrictions. The blocked sites also tend to create new URLs in an effort to bypass these bans, which effectively renders these efforts useless as the sites can easily create new URLs endlessly and easily.

It also begs the question as to if this helps keep players and their funds safe in any capacity. By banning trustworthy online gambling operators, it seems like the ACMA may be causing more harm than good. Inexperienced gamblers may find themselves visiting less reputable sites if one of their favourite, trusted sites becomes blocked. Diverting consumers to shadier and inferior gambling sites seems like a clear negative outcome, and the ACMA's continued efforts appear to only be harming Australian players in general.

Online Poker and Casino Gaming Still Exist in Australia

Despite the ACMA's continued enforcement tactics regarding Australian gambling, plenty of reputable and trusted operators that cater to Australians still exist. There are numerous online casino operators and poker sites that reliably serve Australian citizens.

If you are on the lookout for a trustworthy online poker site that welcomes Australians, then you may wish to peruse this page which covers the best Australian internet poker sites.

For folks who may be primarily interested in casino gambling, not to worry as there are also plenty of trustworthy options for Australian players. If you'd like to find out more regarding the best online casinos accepting Australian consumers, please feel free to consult this guide about the best online casinos catering to Australians.

Joe Fortune Casino is one of the best options for Australians. Joe Fortune offers a plentiful selection of slots, live dealer games, and table games. The site is related to the popular Ignition and Bovada brands and boasts plenty of valuable promotions and bonuses. Please feel free to click the button below to register and get started at Joe Fortune Casino now.

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