ACMA Orders ISPs to Block Offshore Casinos

According to new online gaming measures, The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has been given the green light to freely assess all offshore casino sites targeting Australian players and refer them to local ISPs for blocking. This is provided different enforcement actions cannot be used.

This is one of nineteen measures that were recommended by former New South Wales premier Barry O'Farrel in 2015, as part of a complex study of the iGaming scene Down Under. O'Farrel recommended that ACMA be granted the power to ask local ISPs to block Australian gamblers' access to casino sites that are not licensed and authorized to function in the country. 

These measures are the third and final laws recommended by O'Farrell. 

 What the New Clampdown Entails

Up until recently, Australia used the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 to regulate the activity of online casino operators overseas. The Act contained a series of loopholes that allowed foreign operators to take advantage of the lucrative Aussie online gambling market. Players were given a huge selection of venues to choose from and quench their thirst for new and engaging game titles from the most prestigious casino software providers on the planet.

The extensive study conducted by O'Farrell led to a new version of the Gambling Act law in 2017. Online casinos are no longer considered legal in the country. Nonetheless, this has not stopped Australian players who are estimated to spend around AUD$400 million on illegal virtual gambling. That is the equivalent of around A$100 million in terms of tax revenue if online casino gambling were legal.

November 11th 2019: Emu and Fair Go Casinos Blocked

Until now, two casinos out of hundreds of Aussie-facing gambling venues have been targeted by the latest ACMA crackdown measure: Emu and Fair Go. These are two of the most popular web casinos preferred by punters Down Under for their excellent game selection and bonus offers, so the ACMA decision will definitely affect a lot of passionate players.  Both these casinos are designed with the Australian player in mind and they are located in Curacao.

While the government reports many complaints about these two casinos and claims this as the reason for blocking these sites, we at Australia Casino have not received an irregular number of complaints concerning the two brands.

It is not uncommon for virtual casinos to receive a small number of complaints because of various misunderstandings concerning terms and conditions or wagering requirements and identification information. These complaints are never or rarely related to any foul play or rigged gambling incidents and are usually resolved with the help of Customer Support.

Customers who are having problems, or can no longer access their player accounts on the Emu and Fair Go websites can use the dedicated support websites that have been specially created for them for any inquiries: http://fairgo.info and http://contactemu.com. 

How Will The New ACMA Measure Affect Australian Players 

So far, these two casinos are the only ones affected by the ACMA blocking actions. Punters can continue to use their favourite platforms to wager on pokies, roulette, poker, blackjack or craps with no restrictions. If you are looking for some new casinos to join, check out our updated list of new casinos.  There are still plenty of real money casinos operated by reliable companies you can access right now, as well as a satisfying number of top sports betting sites for passionate punters.