ACMA blocks more illegal online casinos
Australia’s battle against offshore online casinos continues to resemble a game of whack-a-mole, with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) ordering another batch of illegal gambling websites to be blocked.
The latest targets are Casea and Crown96, which ACMA investigations found were providing services to Australians in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
The additions take the number of illegal gambling and affiliate websites blocked since ACMA began using the measure in November 2019 to 1,788. More than 230 illegal gambling services have also withdrawn from Australia since tougher enforcement began in 2017.
MORE: Gambling in Australia
However, the scale of the blocking operation illustrates the difficulty gambling regulators face in keeping offshore casinos away from Australian players.
ACMA’s own enforcement data shows operators routinely establish alternative domains after existing addresses are blocked. Between April and June alone, the regulator referred 187 websites to internet service providers for blocking, with its published list explicitly including alternative sites established to evade previous blocks.
The number of blocked sites has also risen rapidly. There were 1,178 on the list in March 2025, meaning more than 600 additional gambling and affiliate domains have been blocked in roughly 18 months.
Australia remains an attractive target for offshore operators because of the country’s exceptionally high gambling expenditure. Australian Government figures show gambling losses reached more than $32 billion in 2023-24, equivalent to approximately $1,521 per adult and the highest per-capita losses in the world.
Online casino games including slots, blackjack and roulette cannot legally be offered to Australians under the current federal framework, while licensed Australian operators are permitted to offer services including sports and racing betting.
The continuing appearance of new brands, mirror domains and replacement websites is likely to keep debate alive over whether prohibition and website blocking alone can effectively contain offshore gambling, or whether some form of regulated online casino framework could provide greater control over an activity Australians continue to access.
For now, ACMA is sticking with disruption. The regulator warns that offshore casinos do not provide the consumer protections required of legal Australian wagering services, leaving players at greater risk of losing deposits or winnings with limited avenues for redress.
