Secret of Biggest Casino in Australia Revealed!

Australia is a country where gambling is fully legalized. Every year, residents spend more than 6 million US dollars in casinos. In total, that’s about $500 per person. The results of the analysis show that the majority of Australian gamblers prefer to play in online casinos. In second place according to players’ preferences are slot machines located outside gambling casinos. In Australia, there are hundreds of bars with slot machines. In total, players are offered a few thousand machines of different models. There are more than 400 officially licensed casinos in Australia, including land-based casinos, cruise ship casinos, racetracks, etc.

In this article, we will walk you through information about the biggest casino in Australia, including developers, legislation, and licenses. If you want to know more about online casinos in Australia after reading this article, you can visit australian-online-casino.info.

Online casinos in Australia

Online gambling in Australia is regulated at the federal level. In 2001, the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia passed the “Interactive Gaming Act” unique to the country.

Online games fall into several categories such as online casino games: roulette, card games, poker, craps, and others. Slot machines. Lottery, bingo, and keno. Totalizator betting and sports betting.

The law authorizes online gaming. However, the operator must be registered in the territory of Australia. At the same time, it is allowed to accept players from other countries where gambling is legalized.

Who are game developers in Australia?

Not only Australian gamblers are passionate about gambling, Australia is also home to some gaming software developers. World-famous companies with Australian roots are:

• Aristocrat Leisure Limited

A corporation founded more than 60 years ago. The developer specializes in the production of slot machines for physical establishments, online slots, and original bonus systems. The company is licensed to operate in more than 250 gaming jurisdictions worldwide. The developer’s range of games combines hundreds of models. Aristocrat’s machines have repeatedly received awards for being one of the best gaming developers at prestigious international exhibitions.

• Ainsworth

It is a company that was created in 1995 by one of the founders of Aristocrat. Initially, it specialized in manufacturing machines for physical casinos. But over time, the manufacturer focused on the development of the online gaming industry, adapting some of its models for online use. Today Ainsworth is a distributor of slot machines for most of the leading online casinos in Europe. The game collection includes several dozen different models. The company’s representative offices operate in the United States, South America, and the United Kingdom.

• Lightning Box

A company founded in 2004 by former employees of Aristocrat and IGT. Today it offers interesting models for physical establishments and online casinos. The producer cooperates with most of the gaming operators. Most Lightning Box games are available in multiplatform casinos.

• Reel Time Gaming (not to be confused with Real Time Gaming)

It is a company that specializes in the production of offline machines, gaming platforms, gathering the most popular developments of the brand, individual games that are available for integration with any casino. The developer’s catalog has more than a hundred models.

In addition, there are also lesser-known game software developers in Australia. For example, Merge Gaming Network is a developer of games for online portals.

Gaming legislation at online casinos

Despite the stability of the development and popularity of the gambling industry, the country’s gambling legislation is rather complicated. This is due to the political structure of the state. Australia is a federal state uniting 8 jurisdictions. As a result, the government consists of federal authorities and administrations in the states.

Among the powers of the federal government is the partial regulation of the gaming industry. At the same time, each state has its own laws governing the gaming system. As a result, the provisions of the laws can vary significantly.

For example, in New South Wales the local gaming law regulates the organization of gambling in physical and online casinos in very general terms. In Victoria, on the other hand, the particularities of these activities are detailed as precisely as possible. In particular, certain rules define the system of organization of physical casinos, Internet portals and detail the requirements for each type of game.

State laws classify games of chance into specific categories, which may vary in some states. In general, gambling legislation highlights casino games such as roulette, card games, poker, slot machines, lotteries, Keno, sports betting, and racing.

Gaming regulators in Australia’s online casino industry

A similar situation is observed in the control by the country’s gaming regulators. Each state has its own department responsible for the regulation of the gaming sector:

• In the capital territory, it is the Gambling and Racing Commission (ACT).
• In New South Wales it is the Liquor, Gaming and Racing Regulatory Authority (Office of Liquor, Gaming, and Racing).
• In Victoria, it is the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation.
• In Queensland, it is the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation.
• Northern Australia is the Northern Territory Director-General of Licensing.
• In South Australia, it is the Independent Gambling Authority.
• In Western Australia, it is the Department of Racing, Gaming, and Liquor.
• In Tasmania, it is the Tasmanian Gaming Commission.

However, all of these gaming regulators perform similar functions and have similar responsibilities. They are involved in issuing licenses, overseeing casino operations, and enforcing legal requirements operating in a particular state.

Laws regulating casino gaming

The legislative regulation of gambling in Australia is traditionally carried out individually at the level of special territories. In the capital of the country, the city of Sydney, the laws regulating gaming are as follows:

• “Betting Act”, “Lotteries Act” and “Sports Betting Act” of 1964.
• “Interactive Games Act,” 1998.
• “Ley de Carreras”, 1999.
• “Racing and Sports Law”, 2001.
• “Gambling Law”, 2004.
• “Law on Casino Control”, 2006.

The following laws are in force in New South Wales:

• “Registered Clubs Act,” 1976.
• “Casino Control Act”, 1992.
• “Law on Public Lotteries”, 1996.
• “Totalizator Betting Law”, 1997.
• “Gambling Law”, “Illegal Gambling Law”, “Racing Administration Law”, 1998.
• “Law on Slot Machines”, “Law on Taxation of Gaming Machines”, “Law on Taxation of Gambling”, 2001.

In Victoria, gambling is governed by the Laws:

• “On casino control”.
• “On casino management”, 1993.
• “On the regulation of gambling”, 2003.

Queensland authorities are governed by the laws:

• “On Casino Control,” 1982.
• “On Gaming Machines,” 1991.
• “On keno”, “on lotteries” and “on gambling” of 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively.
• “On the protection of players”, 1998.
• “On non-commercial games”, 1999.

The following Laws operate in northern Australia:

• “On Licenses in the Northern Territory,” 2001.
• “On Racing and Betting”, “On Licensing and Regulation”, “On Illegal Betting”, 2004.
• “On Gaming Machines” and “On Gaming Control”, 2005.

In South Australia, the regulation of gambling is governed by the Acts:

• “On lotteries and betting,” 1936.
• “On state lotteries,” 1966.
• “On slot machines”, 1992.
• “About the casino”, 1997.
• “On authorized bets”, 2000.

Western Australia is subject to the provisions specified in the Act:

• “On the control of gambling,” 1954.
• “On Casino Control,” 1984.
• “About the game”, 1985.
• “About the Gaming Commission”, 2000.
• “Racing” and “Racing Taxes,” 2003.

In Tasmania the gaming laws are 1993. As the years of publication of the laws show, the gaming business in Australia has developed unevenly. The laws regulating gambling vary considerably in different states.

The above-mentioned laws are the fundamental basis for the organization of physical casinos. The state government is constantly working on the improvement of the system, supplementing and modifying the provisions of the laws. At the same time, there are new instruments that determine the conditions of the gambling industry in the country.

Online casino taxes in Australia

The gaming tax system is also different in each state of Australia. The main taxes are:

• Sales tax or net income.
• Tax on sports betting.
• License fees.
• Return of the player’s losses.

Rates are determined by the laws of each state. The tax system is constantly changing and being updated. Generally, tax rates are tightened and increased.

In particular, in 2016 the South Australian Government started to develop new rules. The option of determining the amount of gaming taxes in accordance with the requirements applicable in the territory of the casino location is being considered. According to the plans, the funds will be transferred to the local budget. Previously, the system provided the tax calculation with reference to the location of the operator’s office. The innovations will primarily affect international operators providing services in Australia.

Any tax-related requirements relate exclusively to the owners of the gaming business. Players’ winnings are not subject to taxation. In Australia, online gambling is considered an amusement and not a professional gainful activity.

Game licenses at online casinos

To obtain gaming licenses in Australia the gaming operator is required to submit an application. The required documents include:

• The identity document of the founder of the company.
• Documents proving the absence of a criminal record of the executives.
• Reports demonstrating the stable financial situation of the owner of the company.
• Certificates of conformity of future technical installations and casino premises to current standards.
• Tax payment receipt.

This is a general list of the documents required for the registration of a license in any of the regions of Australia. There are also specific requirements in certain jurisdictions of the country for application for gaming licenses.

Casino game development in Australia

The great interest of the local population in gambling and the work of the country’s government in terms of improving legislation are the factors in favor of the development of gambling in Australia. Despite the debate on the rationality of expanding the industry and the stringent requirements for gaming organizers, the Australian market has attracted many international operators.

In 2017 several well-known companies have commented on their decision to expand their activities in the Australian market:

British bookmaker Ladbrokes has signed a partnership agreement with the Professional Golfers’ Association of Australia.

Australian studio Royal Wins announced an update to its online casinos.

William Hill resumes its betting acceptance activities in Australia.

In addition, in some states, certain reforms of the laws are made. For example, Western Australia recently lifted the ban on casino gambling onboard cruise ships. For local users, a special system of protection against gambling addiction has been developed. There are plans to legalize new regulations at the federal level. Federal authorities and state governments have reached an agreement on most of the items. Taking into account these and other factors, experts predict a successful gambling development in Australia.