Wondering if it’s legal to gamble in Queensland? The short answer is ‘yes’. Players can do as they please. The only legal limitations put in place are designed to affect gambling providers, and in reality even these laws do little to prevent Aussie players having the same access to online gambling as their counterparts in the UK or Europe.
The Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation is the overarching authority in Queensland, responsible for issuing licenses to gambling operators based in the state. They are responsible for upholding some of the laws in this area, including the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, which limits how casinos and betting sites set up their betting services.
If you’re a player, you are completely unaffected by these rules, and absolutely free to gamble – it’s entirely legal in Australia, including gambling with internationally based online and mobile casinos, so you’re free to bet and gamble till your heart’s content with no limitations or restrictions.
Gambling Laws in Queensland
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 was introduced in a bid to prevent gambling practices the government felt were damaging. These include all interactive forms of gambling, from in-play and live betting odds through to online roulette and poker – games which are permitted for gamblers across the world. The Act was met with strong criticism, and has been watered down to such an extent that it is now almost an irrelevance. By limiting Australian casinos to certain services that can and cannot be offered to Australian gamblers, the Act only covers a tiny proportion of gambling activities in Australia, and is little more than of academic interest for ordinary gamblers.
The bottom line is that you are free to gamble wherever you choose, and with any online casino or betting site you can find that accepts Australian players. You don’t have to gamble with an Australian provider, and you don’t have to worry about the interactive restrictions – these are only an issue for Australian casinos, and players are not regulated in any way by the Act, or by any other gambling laws.
Sports Betting
Sports betting has a long history in Australia, and there are no gambling laws in force that restrict sports betting. When you wager on an event that is yet to happen, you can do so with Australian based online sports betting sites as well as internationally based providers.
The Act tries to limit in-play and live odds from Australian bookies but they can offer this service via phone betting or via retail services such as TABs. The Australian Government has promised to legislate against ‘Click To Call’ betting, which several bookmakers had promoted as an alternative. As a result, most providers have withdrawn this service.
You are still able to place your bets in real time on international sports betting sites, and there are some great sign up deals available specifically targeting Australian gamblers.
Casino Gambling
Because these are, by virtue, interactive games, Australian based casinos are blocked from accepting Australian customers. However, there are no such restrictions on casinos based elsewhere in the world, which are free to reach out to Australian players. By offering access to the same games on the same terms to Australians as to other customers around the world, these international casino sites tend to get most of the action. Whatever your game of choice, you can definitely gamble for real money legally, wherever in Queensland you live.
Pokies/Slots
Pokies are a familiar site across Australia, with machines available in all sorts of places for those who enjoy fixed-odds gambling. Online, the market is even bigger, with hundreds of different slots games and varieties to choose from. Most include local and progressive jackpots, which can run into the millions of dollars – all available for you to play legally right across Australia.
Again, the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prevents Aussie casinos from offering slots online, but there are no restrictions on playing internationally. As a result, most Australians choose to play pokies online through large internationally-based gambling sites, on the same terms as their fellow gamblers from around the world.
Poker
If poker is your thing, you’ve nothing to worry about from gambling laws. Like other forms of gambling, poker is totally legal in Queensland and the rest of Australia, but Australian gambling operators aren’t permitted to offer it. That means you are best to stick to the major international poker sites – not only does this give access to the best welcome bonuses, rakeback and loyalty schemes, but also the widest range of tournaments and game types.
The Verdict – Relax, It’s Legal
If you fancy gambling in Queensland, fill your boots – there are no legal constraints or restrictions on where you can gamble or how much you can win. The only specific laws concerning gambling relate to providers of interactive gambling games – players are free to do as they please. Even with the current laws in place, they are hardly ever enforced, meaning Australian players have a huge range of gambling platforms and specific welcome bonuses to choose from.
