What Is ACMA Casino Blocking and How Does It Work?

ACMA's Role and Its Legal Powers

The Australian Communications and Media Authority is the federal regulator responsible for broadcasting, the internet and radiocommunications. In the context of online gambling, ACMA's authority comes from the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA), a Commonwealth statute that prohibits the provision of certain interactive gambling services to people in Australia.

The IGA makes it an offence for an operator to provide a prohibited interactive gambling service — which includes most online casino games — to Australian customers. The Act does not make it an offence for an individual player to use such a service, but it does give ACMA tools to restrict access to the sites providing them.

The website-blocking power was added to the IGA through the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Digital Currencies, Reporting and Other Measures) Act 2017, and ACMA began using it in 2019. Under these provisions, if ACMA is satisfied that a service is a prohibited interactive gambling service, it can add the site to a blocking list and direct Australian ISPs to block it.

How the Blocking Mechanism Works: From Investigation to ISP Notice

ACMA's blocking process follows a defined sequence. The authority investigates a site — either on its own initiative or following a complaint — and determines whether it is providing a prohibited interactive gambling service to Australians. If ACMA is satisfied that the service is prohibited, it adds the domain to its blocking list and issues a formal notice to Australian ISPs requiring them to block access to that domain.

ISPs are legally obliged to comply with those notices. The blocking is implemented at the DNS or IP level, meaning that when an Australian user on a participating ISP tries to visit a blocked domain, the connection is refused or redirected. The specific technical method can vary between ISPs.

ACMA publishes the list of services it has requested ISPs to block. The list is updated as new sites are added. Because the obligation falls on ISPs, the effectiveness of blocking depends on which ISP a user is with; not every ISP implements blocks in exactly the same way or on the same timetable, though all are required to comply.

ACMA has stated that it works in batches, periodically reviewing and adding new sites. This means a site that is operating illegally today may not yet appear on the blocklist.

Why ACMA Blocks Online Casinos

The core reason ACMA blocks casino sites is that they are providing a service that is prohibited under Australian federal law. The IGA prohibits operators from providing interactive gambling services — including online casino games such as pokies, roulette and blackjack — to customers physically located in Australia, unless the service is a type specifically exempted (such as licensed sports betting or racing wagering).

No offshore operator holds an Australian licence that permits it to offer casino-style games to Australian residents. Australian gambling licences for interactive services are issued by state and territory regulators, and none of those regulators currently licence online casino games for Australian players. An offshore licence from Curaçao, Malta, Gibraltar or any other jurisdiction does not authorise the operator to serve Australians with prohibited services.

ACMA's stated rationale for blocking is consumer protection: Australians using unlicensed offshore sites have no access to Australian dispute resolution, no coverage under Australian responsible-gambling frameworks, and no recourse through Australian regulators if something goes wrong. Blocking is intended to reduce access to services that carry these risks.

Where to Find the List of Casinos Blocked by ACMA

ACMA publishes its list of services it has requested ISPs to block on its official website. The page is titled 'Illegal offshore gambling services' and is updated as new blocking requests are issued. The list identifies the service name and the domains subject to blocking.

The direct location is the ACMA website at acma.gov.au under the online gambling section. ACMA's published list is the only authoritative source for which domains have been formally blocked. Third-party lists on other websites may be incomplete, out of date, or inaccurate.

It is worth noting that the list records domains that have been formally actioned. A site not appearing on the list has not necessarily been cleared by ACMA — it may simply not yet have been investigated or added in the most recent batch.

Why Blocked Casinos Reappear Under New Domains

Domain blocking targets a specific web address. When ACMA adds a domain to the blocklist and ISPs implement the block, the operator's underlying service is not shut down — only access via that particular domain is restricted for Australian users on complying ISPs.

Operators who want to continue reaching Australian users can register a new domain name, often called a mirror site, and resume operating under the new address. The new domain is not automatically blocked; ACMA must identify it, investigate it, and issue a new blocking notice before ISPs are required to act on it.

This creates a recurring pattern: ACMA blocks a domain, the operator launches a mirror, ACMA eventually identifies and blocks the mirror, and the cycle continues. ACMA has acknowledged this dynamic and has described its approach as ongoing monitoring and batch-based action rather than a one-time enforcement event.

For players, the practical implication is that a site appearing under a new domain after a block is the same operator that was already found to be providing a prohibited service. The change of domain does not change the operator's legal status or the absence of Australian consumer protections.

What Blocking Does and Does Not Mean for Players

A site being blocked by ACMA means ACMA has determined it is providing a prohibited interactive gambling service to Australians and has formally directed ISPs to restrict access. It is a regulatory finding about the operator's conduct, not a technical safety certificate in either direction.

A site not yet on the blocklist is not thereby authorised or safe. ACMA processes sites in batches and cannot act on every illegal operator simultaneously. Many offshore casino sites serving Australians have not yet been formally actioned.

For players considering offshore sites, the relevant question is not whether a site is on the blocklist but whether it holds a licence valid for Australian players — and currently no offshore operator holds such a licence for casino-style games. The absence of a block does not create a legal or consumer-protection basis for using the service.

If you are concerned about your gambling or want to set limits, the national self-exclusion register BetStop (betstop.com.au) and Gambling Help Online (gamblinghelponline.org.au) are available regardless of which sites you have used.