Best Online Casinos in Australia

The Evolution of Gambling in Australia: A Historical Overview

Online casinos are a relatively new form of entertainment, but Australians have had a love affair with gambling as early as the 18th century. Discover more about the interesting history of Australian gambling below.

Australian Gambling: The Early Days

The first European settlers in Australia gambled on a game called Two Up that involved betting pennies on coin tosses. This coin game started in the late 1700s but surged again in popularity during the gold rush in the mid 1800s. 

Officially sanctioned gambling began with horse racing in 1810. A few decades later in 1861, the Victorian Racing Club created the Melbourne Cup, which still exists today and generates about $14 billion in wagers.

Australia saw the introduction of government-sponsored lottery games in 1916. The government used these games as a means to collect funds during World War I.

Slots, or pokies, came to Australia in the early 1950s but weren’t legalized until 1956. Slots remain just as popular today as they were then, generating billions of dollars in annual revenue.

Horse betting and pokies may have been legal, but Australia did not have an officially sanctioned casino until 1973. After a long legal battle, the first casino, Wrest Point Hotel Casino, opened in Tasmania. Melbourne followed in 1994 with the Crown Casino, designed with high rollers in mind.

Gambling Goes Online

Internet usage grew rapidly in the 1990s, and it didn’t take long for online gambling to become popular. Online gambling went unregulated until the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. The law made it illegal for Australian-based gambling websites to offer interactive real-money gaming services to citizens. Australian casinos can, however, offer gambling services to players located in other countries.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and Australian gambling fans have found several options for overcoming restrictive gambling laws. Some use a virtual private network (VPN) to change their IP address when gambling online, making it appear as though they’re in another country. Others use offshore casinos in other countries such as Cyprus and the Isle of Man.

A third option involves playing at social casinos, which take advantage of a loophole in the Interactive Gambling Act. At these casinos, you can play the games without spending a dime. These casinos allow you to buy and win gold coins, which you can then redeem for cash prizes.
 

How To Choose the Best Online Casinos in Australia

The Interactive Gambling Act put a damper on web-based wagering, but there are still dozens of online casinos in Australia. How can you pick the best? Here’s what we look for in a good casino:

• Reputation: The best online Australian casinos have a stellar reputation when it comes to payout speed, game selection, wagering requirements, and customer support. Before you gamble, read player reviews to see what they liked and didn’t like about the casino. And don’t forget to check out Optimobet for in-depth reviews from our experts.

• License: All reputable real-money casinos have licenses and are regulated by a gambling authority. Don’t take chances with an unlicensed casino. Such casinos may be scams, and you’ll have no recourse if you lose money to one. Note that social casinos do not need a license because they aren’t officially gambling sites.

• Payment methods: Look for a casino that offers your favorite banking method, whether that’s credit/debit, bank transfer, e-wallet, or cryptocurrency.

• Website security: Online gambling is inherently risky, so it’s smart to stick with casinos that take security seriously. Choose gambling sites that offer encrypted transactions for deposits and withdrawals.

• Customer support: The best online casinos in Australia offer superb customer support. We prefer casinos with 24/7 support that’s available via live chat, phone, and email.
   

Legislation and Licensing in Australia

The Interactive Gambling Act prohibits Australian residents from playing at real-money gambling sites. Sites offering online slots, sports betting, poker, and live dealer games are banned under the law. Australian providers can still apply for an internet gaming license and offer gambling services to players outside the country, however.

Australians aren’t completely out of luck when it comes to gambling online. Thanks to social casinos, they can get their gaming fix and win cash prizes as well.

Social casinos operate a bit differently than traditional real-money casinos. They are called “social casinos” because they offer interactive play between gamblers. Players can chat with each other in real time during games.

Social casinos avoid the online gambling ban by allowing players to gamble with virtual currency (often called gold coins) instead of real money. They can win gold coins by playing games and then redeem the currency for cash prizes and other goodies.

Social casinos are largely focused on slot games, which is appealing if you’re a big fan of pokies. Most don’t offer live dealer games like blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. You’ll have to look elsewhere to get your fix of games like these.
 

Payment Methods in Australia’s Online Casinos

Social casinos in Australia don’t require you to spend your own money to play, but you can buy virtual currency packages if you wish. Why do that if the games are free? One reason is that you may be able to access exclusive games using gold coins. You might also be able to use virtual currency to trigger bonus features, such as free spins and multipliers.

Some of the most popular payment methods at the best online casinos in Australia include:

• Credit/debit cards: Many online gamblers feel most comfortable buying gold coins with their credit or debit card. This is a fine choice as credit/debit cards are highly secure. Withdrawal speeds can be a bit slow, though, and you may have to pay a fee to use your card.

• E-wallets: E-wallets such as PayPal and Apple Pay offer speedy transactions and robust security.

• Bank transfers: Bank transfers are very secure, which gives players peace of mind. However, they can be fairly slow.

• Cryptocurrency: Crypto is our preferred way to pay at Australian online casinos. It’s the fastest payment method available, allowing for nearly instant deposits and withdrawals in an hour or less. It’s also anonymous, making it a great choice if you want to gamble incognito.
   

Leading Providers of Slot Games

Slots, or pokies as they’re affectionately called in Australia, are among the most popular casino games in the land down under. You can’t go wrong with games from any of these top slot providers:

• Evolution: Founded in 2006, Evolution is best known for titles like Crazy Time and Lightning Roulette. It offers an impressive catalog with more than 900 games.

• Pragmatic Play: It’s hard to find a casino that doesn’t offer games from Pragmatic Play. This developer has built a reputation as one of the industry’s top slot providers. The company releases a new game almost monthly. Top titles include Sweet Bonanza, Gates of Olympus, and The Dog House.

• BGaming: BGaming’s catalog is a bit smaller than some more established developers, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. Some of the provider’s most popular titles include Bonanza Billion, Wild Tiger, and Elvis Frog in Vegas.

• Play’n GO: This Swedish developer, which launched in 1997, mostly focuses on creating game series rather than standalone titles. Its catalog includes games with simple mechanics for beginners and more complex titles that appeal to high rollers. Some of its biggest hits include Book of Dead, Legacy of Egypt, and Rise of Olympus 100.
   

Have a Blast at the Best Australian Online Casinos

If you’re ready to try to hit it big at one of the biggest and best Australian online casinos, we’ve got you covered. Just choose one of our offers, claim your welcome bonus, and you’re all set to start playing. From slots to bingo, the best online casinos in Australia have everything you want.
 

FAQ

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