Is online poker legal in Australia? For conventional real-money poker rooms, the practical answer is no: operators are generally prohibited from offering online poker cash games and tournaments to people physically located in Australia.
The main federal law is the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, commonly called the IGA. It makes it illegal for gambling providers to supply certain interactive gambling services to Australian customers. Prohibited services include online casino-style games such as poker, blackjack and roulette.
However, there is an important distinction between the legal position of the operator and that of the player.
Poker itself is not generally illegal in Australia.
Australians can still play poker in authorised land-based casinos, regulated poker rooms, approved tournaments and some private social games. What is restricted at the federal level is the commercial provision of real-money poker through the internet.
Therefore:
The statement that “poker is illegal in Australia” is therefore too broad. The legal position depends on where the game is played, whether money is involved and who organises it.
Australians may be able to access some poker websites, but accessibility does not mean that the service is authorised.
Offshore operators may continue to accept Australian registrations, use alternative domains or offer access through mobile applications. That does not make them legal poker sites in Australia.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority can investigate prohibited services and request that internet providers block access to offending domains. The ACMA has specifically found that offshore services, including Ignition Casino, breached the Interactive Gambling Act by providing prohibited interactive gambling services to Australian customers.
Players using illegal offshore services may also have limited protection if an operator closes an account, refuses a withdrawal or disappears. Australian laws may not provide an effective way to recover funds from an overseas provider.
The Interactive Gambling Act primarily regulates the companies that provide and advertise prohibited gambling services.
Its main purpose is to stop operators from supplying certain online products to people in Australia. This is different from saying that an individual player is automatically committing a federal offence simply by visiting an offshore poker website.
Nevertheless, players should not interpret this distinction as confirmation that an offshore site is safe or approved. A service can be accessible while still operating illegally in the Australian market.
The operator may face:
In July 2026, the Federal Court imposed penalties totalling more than A$24 million in a case involving prohibited online poker services, demonstrating that Australian regulators continue to enforce these restrictions.
Online poker is restricted because it falls within the federal definition of prohibited interactive gambling when it is played for money through an internet-based service.
The law is intended to reduce the availability of high-risk online gambling products and prevent unregulated providers from targeting Australian customers.
The restrictions do not apply identically to every form of internet gambling. For example, appropriately licensed online wagering on racing and sports may be permitted, subject to strict rules. However, online casino-style games and real-money poker are treated differently and remain prohibited services.
There are currently no conventional Australian-licensed websites offering unrestricted real-money poker cash games and online tournaments to the general public.
Websites describing themselves as “legal poker sites in Australia” may actually be:
Before using any gambling service, players should check whether it appears on ACMA enforcement or blocked-site records and whether it holds the required Australian licence for the particular service it offers.
A foreign gambling licence does not automatically make an operator legal in Australia.
Ignition Poker is not an Australian-licensed real-money poker operator.
The ACMA has included Ignition Casino among services found to have provided prohibited interactive gambling services with an Australian customer link. Therefore, the fact that an Ignition domain or application may sometimes be accessible does not mean that it is authorised to offer online poker in Australia.
Using a VPN or an alternative domain does not change the legal status of the underlying service. It may also breach the operator’s account terms and create additional verification or withdrawal risks.
PokerStars does not offer real-money online poker to players located in Australia.
PokerStars states that real-money poker is no longer available to Australian players because Australian law restricts this form of online gambling. Australia is also listed among its prohibited jurisdictions.
PokerStars may still be associated with poker education, international events or content, but this should not be confused with legal access to real-money online tables from Australia.
The restrictions on online poker do not prohibit all live poker.
Real-money poker may be conducted at authorised casinos and other approved venues under state or territory legislation. The rules may cover:
Players should check the regulator responsible for gambling in their state or territory before entering or organising a public tournament.
The legality of a home poker game depends on the applicable state or territory law and the way the game is organised.
A genuine private social game may be treated differently from a commercial poker tournament. Risk increases where:
For example, NSW guidance permits certain private poker games where all money contributed by players is returned as prizes and no person receives a benefit for organising the game. NSW also applies separate conditions to poker tournaments conducted in licensed venues and for charitable purposes.
Victoria applies its own rules. The Victorian regulator states that poker outside a casino may be conducted without restrictions where players are not required to pay money to participate. Different conditions may apply where entry payments, prizes or fundraising are involved.
Because the rules are not identical across Australia, organisers should check the current requirements in their specific jurisdiction.
The Interactive Gambling Act applies nationally to online services, while land-based poker, private games, casinos and local tournaments are also regulated under state and territory laws.
Relevant regulators include authorities in:
A poker game that is permitted under one state’s conditions may require a different structure or approval elsewhere.
People in Australia can generally consider:
Players looking for real-money poker should use regulated land-based options rather than assume that an accessible offshore website is legal.
Real-money online poker is not part of Australia’s locally licensed online gambling market. Under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, operators are prohibited from supplying conventional online poker services to customers in Australia.
Poker itself remains available in authorised land-based venues and, subject to state or territory rules, in certain private or social settings.
This page provides general information and should not be treated as individual legal advice. Laws and regulatory decisions can change, so players and organisers should consult the ACMA, their state gambling regulator or a qualified Australian lawyer when specific legal guidance is required.
