Interactive Gambling Act 2001

The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA) is an Australian federal regulation governing the provision and access of online gambling services in the country, including Queensland. It was adopted to protect citizens from the negative consequences of gambling and prevent the illegal provision of interactive gambling services.

Key objectives of the law:

• Restricting Australians' access to illegal online casinos and interactive gambling services.
• Establishing legal liability for operators offering prohibited services in Australia.
• Establishing a control and oversight mechanism through the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

Permitted and prohibited services:

• Allowed: online sports betting and horse racing, provided that bets are accepted before the event (pre-match betting), and the operator has an Australian license.
• Prohibited: online casinos, poker rooms, slots, roulette and other interactive gambling games offered in real time, as well as live-betting (betting during the match) in electronic form.
• Operators are not allowed to advertise prohibited services in Australia, including digital advertising, email mailing and telemarketing.

Responsibility of operators:

• IGA prohibits companies without an Australian license from offering prohibited gambling to users in Australia. Violation of the law entails serious fines: for legal entities - up to millions of dollars for each violation.

Player responsibility:

• IGA is mainly aimed at regulating the activities of operators, not players. However, participation in prohibited forms of interactive gambling is fraught with the risk of account blocking, confiscation of winnings and lack of legal protection.

Application in Queensland:

• Queensland, like other Australian states, has federal IGA provisions. Licenses for legal types of gambling (for example, sports betting) are issued by the local regulator - Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR). Online casinos and interactive gambling that do not meet IGA requirements are considered illegal.

Role of ACMA:

• ACMA maintains a register of prohibited operators, sends notifications of violations and initiates blocking of sites through Internet providers. The agency also cooperates with international regulators to limit the activities of offshore casinos aimed at Australian users.

Conclusion:

• The Queensland Interactive Gambling Act 2001 is the main statutory instrument defining the boundaries of legal online gambling. For gamblers, it means that access to legal platforms is limited to licensed bookmakers, and the use of offshore online casinos is associated with legal and financial risks.