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Interactive Gambling Act 2001
Who regulates gambling
Crypto gambling tax
Grey market casinosOn 11 June 2024, the federal parliament's Interactive Gambling Amendment (Credit and Other Measures) Act came into force. Its key provision is a ban on gambling with borrowed money or cryptocurrency at any Australian-licensed online wagering service. The principle behind it is blunt: people should not gamble with money they do not have.
Read past the headline
This is one of the most misreported gambling laws in the country, usually summarised as the Act that "banned crypto gambling" in Australia. In reality it did something much narrower. This page sets out how the regulation actually works, from the specific sections added to the Interactive Gambling Act to the review that will decide the law's future.
What the ban covers
Section 15C(1A) of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 was amended to make it an offence for an Australian-licensed interactive wagering provider to accept payment from a customer in Australia using:
- Credit cards, the headline target
- Credit-linked accounts and digital wallets, so routing a credit card through Apple Pay or a similar wallet does not dodge the ban
- Digital currency, meaning cryptocurrency in all its forms
Payments using debit cards, bank transfers, PayID and other own-money methods are still permitted at licensed betting services and bookmakers. Sites offering lotteries and keno were exempted from the Act's provisions. A provider can rely on a due diligence defence by showing it took steps to avoid the prohibited payments, and the ACMA can fine an operator up to A$247,500.
How the ban came about
The use of borrowed money, credit cards especially, had been pushed out of most Australian gambling for years. Most states banned credit cards in land-based venues long ago, and several Australian banks blocked credit card gambling transactions before this Act even passed. Online betting was the last gambling service where you could still bet on borrowed money. The provision came out of an ACMA inquiry into the industry, and with support from both the banking and gambling sectors the bill passed the Australian parliament in late 2023. Licensed services were given six months to comply, ending on 11 June 2024.
Why crypto was included
The decision to ban credit cards in gambling was the result of a long process that began years before the Act, and credit cards were already gone from land-based venues across the country. Cryptocurrency was folded in for two reasons: first, crypto can be bought with a credit card, which would have quietly rebuilt the loophole the ban was closing; second, crypto sits outside the banking regulation the whole rule relies on. Parliament chose to close the entire category at once.
The due diligence defence
The fairness valve
The Act builds in a due diligence defence: a licensed betting service can escape liability if it can prove it took steps to avoid receiving payments made with credit cards or cryptocurrency. The burden sits on the provider to show it met the Act's requirements.
The boundary everyone misses
Only Australia's licensed bookmakers and sports betting services are subject to the Act. International gambling websites are not covered, because they are already prohibited under the Interactive Gambling Act and hold no Australian licence to operate.
The consequence for the market is simple: no legal Australian gambling service will accept cryptocurrency, so all crypto gambling by Australians happens on international websites. The crypto ban did not create that situation, but it locked it in. It also means a site's legal status needs no further investigation once you see it accepting crypto from Australians: it can only be an international operator without an Australian licence. What that means in practice is covered in our grey market guide.
The ban at a glance
What changed for players
At licensed bookmakers
At licensed bookmaking services, credit cards and cryptocurrency are banned outright. The ACMA has begun fining companies that do not comply, and the licensed bookmakers caught out already appear in its enforcement register. Betting with your own money, through bank transfer or PayID, continues as before.
At international casinos
Nothing about how international betting services operate changed because of this Act; the law does not reach international casinos. What changed is the surrounding market: Australia's banks were already declining credit card transactions to international betting services, and the Act guaranteed there would never be a licensed local alternative for players who use cryptocurrency.
The ACMA has so far dealt with only a handful of licensed betting services that tried to operate outside the Act, and the wagering industry's own body has signalled its support for the reform. Any future breaches are more likely to sit in the international betting market, which was outside the law to begin with.
Does the ban affect buying crypto?
Buying is untouched
No. The Act does not regulate what cryptocurrency an individual may buy. Australian cryptocurrency exchanges are regulated by AUSTRAC, and how you buy crypto stays a matter for each exchange and its banking arrangements. The Act only bites on the services that receive the cryptocurrency, and international betting services sit outside Australia's licensing regime entirely.
The statutory review
The Act requires a review of its own operation within two years, so after June 2026. Alongside it, the government is set to review related measures: BetStop, advertising restrictions on betting websites, and the 2023 parliamentary inquiry report into online gambling harm. The likely outcome is either to leave the Act as it stands or to extend the restrictions on cryptocurrency further; there is no appetite for winding it back. It is worth following the review to see what changes, and this page will be updated when it is published.
Sources
- Interactive Gambling Amendment (Credit and Other Measures) Act 2023 and the amended IGA: legislation.gov.au
- Department of Infrastructure, credit ban policy pages and announcements: infrastructure.gov.au
- ACMA, credit ban guidance and enforcement register: acma.gov.au
For more on the legislation around gambling in Australia, see the Australian gambling law guide or the Interactive Gambling Act explainer.
Credit card gambling ban FAQ
Can I use a credit card for online gambling in Australia?
No. The Act does not ban credit cards from Australian-licensed betting services outright; it bans those services from accepting any payment a customer makes with a credit card. Debit cards and bank transfers are still allowed.
Did Australia ban crypto gambling?
The Act banned licensed betting services in Australia from accepting digital currencies such as cryptocurrency. It does not ban playing with crypto as a customer; international betting services, already prohibited under the Interactive Gambling Act, still accept cryptocurrency from players.
Who enforces the credit card gambling ban?
The ACMA can fine any Australian licensed betting service up to A$247,500, counted on a per-day basis, and it has already issued enforcement actions against licensed betting services.
Will the ban be extended to block crypto casinos?
International betting services are already prohibited from operating in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act, so there is no licence left to restrict. Any future pressure on unlicensed services is more likely to target the payment systems behind them than the services themselves.
Can I still use a debit card to bet at licensed bookmakers?
No. Although betting services in Australia can no longer accept credit or cryptocurrency payments, own-money methods such as PayID, bank transfers and debit cards are still permitted at licensed betting services.