ACT Gambling and Racing Commission

Online gambling in Australia is a complex subject, and some odd legal issues mean it’s not currently possible for Austrian companies to offer services to Australian players. However, certain online casinos do accept Australian players.

The Interactive Gambling Act 1998 was brought in with the intention of taking a more liberal approach to online gambling in Australia. However, the Commonwealth Government currently legislates in the area using the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 – and this Act prevents Australian companies from offering online gambling services to Australian residents.

Because Commonwealth laws always override state and territory laws, while the Interactive Gambling Act is in force, it remains illegal for Australian companies to offer their services.

However, sports wagering is allowed online, and the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission (ACT) is in charge of regulating bookmakers, as well as land-based gambling. In this post, we’re going to look at who the ACT are, how they operate, and what their complaints procedure is.

About The ACT Gambling and Racing Commission

The ACT is an independent body which was established under section 5 of the Gambling and Racing Control Act 1999. The act covered all forms of gambling, and stated that the ACT would have a number of responsibilities to ensure the safe and fair running of legal gambling activities in Australia.

The ACT is responsible for:

Regulating the activities of the casino, gaming machines, lotteries, racing, betting and interactive gambling.
Appriving (or disapproving) gaming and racing activities.
Monitoring and studying the social effects of gambling, as well as problem gambling.
Reviewing legislation and policies which relate to gambling, and advising government officials on these matters.
Providing educational and counselling services about the harms and effects of gambling.
Investigating cases where operators are found to be running illegal or illegitimate gambling services.
Collecting taxes, fees and charges as set out or authorised by the government.

The ACT places a strong emphasis on ensuring all gambling services in Australia operate in a fair, responsible and safe manner, and the commission works hard to ensure the integrity of gambling in the country.

Unfortunately, given the legal status of online gambling in Australia, the ACT currently do not regulate any form of online gambling in Australia (although they will investigate and take action against operators based in Australia who offer services to Australian players.)

License Requirements

As the ACT doesn’t regulate any form of online gambling, they don’t issue any licenses to online gambling operators. However, where gambling services in Australia are legal, the ACT require operators to adhere to a number of license conditions.

Operators are, for example, expected to follow strict responsible gambling license conditions, ensuring that players are able to exclude themselves from gambling activities, should they feel their gambling is becoming a problem. The ACT also collect license fees on behalf of the Australian government, and also make sure that license holders are paying the correct taxes.

Top ACT Gambling and Racing Commission Licensed Casinos

As you’d expect, there aren’t any online casinos licensed by the ACT – but below, you can view the best-rated online casinos that currently accept Australian players:

ACT’s Complaints Procedure

The ACT takes player complaints directly, and this is because the Gambling and Racing Control Act 1999 states that ‘a person may lodge a complaint with the commission about compliance with a gaming law within the ACT.’

The ACT states that – in the first instance – you should try to resolve your complaint directly with the gambling operator in question. If, however, this proves unsuccessful, the commission encourages you to contact them directly.