ACMA referred 187 gambling websites to Australian internet providers for blocking between April and June 2026, while 27 investigations found breaches of federal law.
Australia’s online gambling regulator referred 187 websites to internet service providers for blocking during the April–June 2026 quarter. The same group of URLs was also sent to accredited family-friendly filtering services.
The figures come from the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s quarterly interactive gambling enforcement report, updated on 24 August 2026. The regulator says most blocked services were casino-style sites offering products such as pokies, blackjack, roulette and poker. Some also offered wagering without an Australian licence.
ACMA found 56 breaches in 30 investigations
Website blocking was only one part of the quarter’s enforcement activity. ACMA examined 465 enquiries and complaints, of which 417 were considered valid complaints that could be investigated under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
The regulator completed 30 investigations involving 76 gambling sites. Twenty-seven investigations found at least one breach, producing 56 breach findings in total:
- 30 involved prohibited interactive gambling services being supplied to Australian customers;
- 24 involved regulated interactive wagering without an Australian licence;
- two involved advertising a prohibited or unlicensed service in Australia.
ACMA also issued 18 formal warnings. The organisations named in the report included operators connected with Lucky Start, Slots Gem, Spinrise, Lucky Vibe and Lukki Casino, among other services.
The 187 blocked addresses included both main domains and alternate URLs. That distinction matters because an operator can create mirror domains after its primary address becomes unavailable. The quarterly total therefore represents blocked web addresses, not necessarily 187 separate casino businesses.
Blocking is disruption, not an approval system
Under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, online casino services cannot legally be supplied to customers in Australia. ACMA can investigate suspected breaches and ask Australian internet providers to block access to offending sites.
A block does not automatically settle a customer’s balance or recover money held by an operator. It removes or disrupts access through participating Australian networks. A mirror address can also appear before it is added to a later blocking request.
That is why a working website should not be treated as proof that a service is licensed or protected by Australian consumer safeguards. The same applies to a familiar-looking name: the quarterly list contained domains designed to resemble established gambling brands.
What it means for players
Before opening an account, check whether a wagering service appears on ACMA’s register of licensed Australian providers. Casino-style websites should not be assumed lawful merely because they accept A$, show Australian payment methods or use Australian imagery.
If a site becomes inaccessible, avoid searching for a replacement mirror and depositing again. Save the account history, cashier records and messages, then follow the options in our player disputes guide. Our Interactive Gambling Act explainer covers the difference between licensed wagering and prohibited online casino services in more detail.
The quarterly figures show why the check has to happen before payment: blocking can remove access, but it cannot guarantee that an offshore operator will return a customer’s balance.
