🇦🇺 Australia
Sports betting, prediction markets and online casinos in Australia
Only betting services licensed by an Australian state or territory may take bets online from people in Australia, and online casinos and pokies are illegal altogether. We rank and review the best licensed bookmakers and the legal ways to bet on elections and other events, check any site against ACMA’s register and blocked list, and explain the rules, from the regulators’ own texts.
Is online gambling legal in Australia?
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Online betting is, with a provider licensed by an Australian state or territory: ACMA’s register listed 213 licensed providers on October 21, 2026. Online casino games, online pokies and online poker aren’t: the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 bans offering them to people in Australia, whatever licence a site holds, and ACMA has internet providers block illegal sites (1,810 addresses on October 25, 2026). Online bets on a sporting event that has already started are banned too; you can only place them by phone. Prediction markets such as Polymarket aren’t licensed, but betting on elections and other approved events is legal with licensed bookmakers and the Betfair exchange.
At a glance
Where things stand in Australia
- Online betting is legal only with the providers on ACMA’s register of licensed interactive gambling providers, at the websites it lists. Check whether a site is legal.
- Online casino games, pokies and poker can’t be offered to people in Australia, and ACMA has blocked more than 1,800 illegal gambling addresses since 2019. Online casinos in Australia.
- Licensed bookmakers can’t take online bets once an event has started, can’t accept credit cards or crypto, and must offer BetStop, the national self-exclusion register. The rules for sports betting.
- Polymarket is blocked by ACMA, but you can bet legally on elections, awards and other approved events with licensed bookmakers and the Betfair exchange. The legal options, ranked.
- From January 1, 2027, new rules limit wagering ads around live sport and ban commissions tied to customer sign-ups and bets. What changes in 2027.
- Struggling with gambling? The National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 is free, confidential and open 24/7, and BetStop blocks you from every licensed provider. Where to get help.
Our top 5 sports betting sites
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bet365 is the best betting site in Australia in 2026: it has the widest range of markets, publishes its maximum winnings for every sport, answers by chat and phone 24/7, quotes withdrawals at 1 to 4 hours and has a lighter record than its biggest rivals. PointsBet pays most withdrawals within 30 minutes, Sportsbet has the most-rated app, betr lets you cap your losses as well as your deposits, and Dabble has the biggest same-game multis.
Our top 5 event betting sites
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Betfair is the best legal alternative to a prediction market in Australia in 2026: it's the country's only licensed betting exchange, where you back or lay elections and other events against other punters, for a published commission on your net winnings (6% on sport). bet365 ties on score, with the most detailed Australian election markets we found and 24/7 support, and Bet Right's InfoMarket looks most like Polymarket, with yes/no prices in cents, though each trade is a bet with the bookmaker. All five are licensed in the Northern Territory and on ACMA's register.