Over the past few years, online casinos have grown to become mainstream entertainment in Australia. However, it should be said that the number of unsafe practices and scams has also risen concurrently. Due to the growing prominence of exploitation of Australians, a regulatory response was essential. This necessity gave rise to the establishment of the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA).
The IGA is legislation that details the specifics of how online gambling services should be offered to Australians. It helps to ensure that Australian gamers are safe and can make the best mobile casino choices.
Main Provisions of The IGA
The IGA primarily focuses on regulating the services online casinos offer, making sure they keep to the best standards of operation. The main provisions of the Interactive Gambling Act include the following:
The IGA places an absolute ban on gambling service providers offering Australian residents services related to the following:
- Virtual Casinos
- Lottery Outcome Wagering
- Sports Betting without proper licensing from authorised Australian regulatory bodies.
It is important to mention that this ban also covers advertisements to Australian residents related to all of the above. In addition to this, the IGA makes it illegal for companies, online sites, or apps to offer credit facilities to Australian residents for all of the above-prohibited gambling offerings.
These provisions are critical in preventing unlicensed operators from targeting Australian players. The Act's stringent regulations also help to effectively shield Australian players from the risks associated with unregulated gambling, such as fraud and manipulation.
Impact on Domestic and International Casino Operators
As you would expect, the IGA significantly impacts domestic casino operators. However, it should be said that its impact extends far beyond the shores of the country. For domestic online casinos, the Act provides a framework to operate within a legal and ethical boundary and ensures a level playing field within the industry. However, legal and well-verified online casinos are not unique.
On the international scene, the IGA makes it possible for Australian players to enjoy online gambling with minimal risks. This is primarily because international casino operators targeting Australian players have to face and submit to the Act's rigorous stipulations. Online casino operators unwilling to abide by the stipulations cannot target unwary players.
Adaptability and Evolution of the Act
The digital space evolves rapidly, and as such, there is a need for regulations guiding this space to do the same. Because of this, there have been several amendments made to the Interactive Gambling Act over the years. These amendments have been particularly geared towards closing loopholes that have been exploited by some operators.
These updates include the following:
- 2017 - Updates included publishing a register of licensed interactive gambling service providers and denylisting some operators from offering credit lines to Australian residents.
- 2019 - The key highlight of this update was the introduction of the National Self-Exclusion Register.
Conclusion
Since its introduction, statistics show that the volume of money illegally obtained from Australian gamers has dropped massively. As such, it’s pretty evident that the Interactive Gambling Act is a very important instrument for protecting Australian players and properly shaping the nation's online gambling ecosystem.
