Australia blocks 61 illegal gambling websites in fresh crackdown
Australian authorities have taken new action to block access to dozens of illegal gambling websites, as part of continued efforts to protect consumers from unlicensed online services.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) between January and March 2025. The move followed a series of investigations which revealed widespread breaches of the country’s gambling laws.
Unlicensed gambling risks
All 61 websites have also been reported to family-friendly filter providers, which aim to prevent children and other vulnerable groups from being exposed to such content. According to the ACMA, most of these sites were offering casino-style games without holding a valid Australian licence.
This wave of action forms part of a broader strategy to disrupt illegal gambling operations targeting Australian users. Under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, it is an offence to offer or advertise unlicensed gambling services to people in Australia.
Key actions in Q1 2025
During the first quarter of 2025, ACMA received 350 public enquiries about suspicious gambling activity. Of those, 283 were deemed valid and investigated under existing gambling regulations.
As a result, the authority completed 22 investigations, covering 25 different gambling platforms. Every single case revealed one or more breaches of the law, with a total of 33 violations recorded. These included 20 instances of providing prohibited interactive gambling services, 12 cases of offering unlicensed regulated services, and one breach involving illegal advertising.
ACMA issues multiple warnings
Twelve formal warnings were issued to gambling operators found to be in breach. Among them were providers such as CoinPoker, Leon Casino and Woo Casino.
Website blocking has become one of the key tools used by ACMA to limit the reach of illegal gambling services within the country. The regulator says this measure helps restrict access to websites that fail to meet Australian licensing requirements and puts pressure on operators to leave the market.
The recent batch of blocked sites brings the total number of gambling websites barred since the practice began in November 2019 to 1,178.
Earlier this year, ACMA also ordered the blocking of four additional websites—Megabet Prize, Mega Medusa, TF2Royal and Casino Intense—after determining that they were providing gambling services illegally.
