Behind the ACMA's Gambling Website Blocks

The page Optus showed in 2016 when a user tried to open a site blocked by court order (The Pirate Bay, a copyright block, not a gambling block). Photo: Pratyeka, Public domain

The legal basis for a block

Blocking is not a power written into gambling law itself. According to the ACMA's page on blocked gambling websites, the regulator asks internet service providers to block sites under section 313 of the Telecommunications Act 1997, which is used where serious criminal or civil offences are involved. The ACMA publishes its section 313 policies and procedures on the same page.

The offences in question come from the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. The ACMA lists three kinds of breach that can lead to a block:

• Prohibited interactive gambling services, such as online casinos, online slot machines and in-play online sports betting.
• Unlicensed regulated interactive gambling services, meaning betting services offered without a valid Australian licence.
• Advertising of either kind of service.

The ACMA's summary of the Act adds betting on the outcome of a lottery to the banned list, and confirms none of these services can be advertised. Its consumer warning page goes further on the product side: illegal online services include slots (pokies), casino-style games, scratchies, in-play betting, and betting or lottery services not licensed in Australia. Our guide to gambling law across the states covers the legal side for land-based play.

How a site ends up blocked

The quarterly enforcement reports show the sequence. A complaint or enquiry comes in, the ACMA investigates, and if it finds a breach it can issue a formal warning, refer the site to internet providers for blocking, and report the address to family-friendly filter providers. The April to June 2026 report gives the figures for one quarter.

ACMA interactive gambling enforcement, April to June 2026.

A quick check on the breach split: 30 + 24 + 2 = 56, so more than half of the breaches found in the quarter (30 ÷ 56 = 53.6%) were prohibited services such as online casinos rather than unlicensed betting.

On 21 May 2026 the ACMA announced another round of blocks and put the running total at 1,708 illegal gambling and affiliate websites blocked since its first request in November 2019. The same announcement said over 230 illegal services had left the Australian market since enforcement of the 2017 rules began.

Why the same names keep coming back

Blocking one address does not stop an operator registering another. The July to September 2025 report recorded 71 websites blocked in that quarter and noted that they include alternate sites set up to evade the blocks. The ACMA's alphabetical list of blocked sites also shows many brand names appearing several times with a number added. That is our own observation from the list, not an ACMA finding, but it fits the regulator's description of mirror sites.

Each mirror counts as a separate block, which is one reason the running total keeps climbing even though the number of distinct operators is smaller.

What a block means for the player

The ACMA's consumer warning is blunt. Regulators cannot help if an illegal operator treats you poorly or withholds your winnings, and once a site is blocked you may not be able to log in to an existing account. The complaints the ACMA describes include winnings that could not be accessed, operators that closed or moved with players' money, and withdrawals that kept coming out of a bank account. The page warns that people in that position are unlikely to see their money again.

The May 2026 announcement makes a related point: even a service that looks legitimate is unlikely to offer important protections, so you risk losing your money. The options the ACMA lists for trying to recover funds are independent legal advice, the ACCC, or the licensing authority of the jurisdiction the operator claims to be licensed in. None of those is an Australian right against an offshore casino.

Money rules have changed for licensed betting too. The ACMA's online gambling services page says that from 11 June 2024 a credit card or digital currency cannot be used to place bets with licensed providers. Our payments guide explains the deposit methods in more detail.

Checklist: before you deposit with a betting site

These checks come straight from the ACMA material above. Work through them in order:

1. Is it a product Australian law allows online? Online casino games, online pokies, online scratchies, in-play online sports betting and betting on lottery outcomes are banned interactive services. A site offering them to Australians is breaking the law, whatever its homepage says.
2. Is the betting service on the register? The ACMA points punters to the register of licensed interactive wagering services. If the operator is not on it, it is an unlicensed regulated service.
3. Does it accept a credit card or crypto for bets? Licensed providers cannot take either for betting since 11 June 2024, so a site that does is a warning sign.
4. Do you know who you would complain to? If the only answer is an overseas regulator, Australian regulators cannot step in on your behalf.
5. Have you hit a block page? That means the ACMA has already found a breach, or the site is a mirror of one. Treat a fresh address under the same brand the same way.
6. Is the site advertising to you? Ads for prohibited or unlicensed services are themselves a breach, and the ACMA has been consulting on tougher rules; we covered that in our report on the ACMA's push on offshore casino ads.

Gambling is for adults 18 and over. If chasing a balance on a blocked site is causing stress, the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 is open around the clock, and BetStop can shut every licensed wagering account at once.

Reporting a site, or disputing a block

Anyone can complain to the ACMA about an illegal gambling service, and complaints can be anonymous. The process also runs the other way: the ACMA lets people explain why a site should not be blocked, through its Customer Service Centre on 1300 850 115, from 9am to 5pm AEST on working days.

What changes next

According to the ACMA, Parliament passed the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 on 19 August 2026. The ACMA says the reforms boost its enforcement powers, including the ability to take down ads and illegal services, and that most of them commence on 1 January 2027. Until then, section 313 blocking requests remain the main tool for cutting off access to sites that ignore Australian law.