Offshore pokies sites accepting Australians

In Australia, the only place we can legally play the pokies is at a licensed land based casino, pub or club around the country, with Australian operators prohibited from running real money pokies services online. However, there are plenty of offshore pokies sites that accept Aussie players – we discuss what offshore wagering is, the prohibited gambling sites to avoid and explain where Australian punters can still play the pokies online for the chance to win real money.

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What is offshore wagering?

Offshore wagering, also known as offshore betting or remote gambling, is where Australians are able to place a real money bet with a casino or betting service that is located on foreign soil. Given Australia’s strict stance on preventing online gambling, many Aussies have chosen to take their money and gamble with overseas operators, meaning the Australian government misses out on the tax revenue earned from such gambling related activities. Australian legislators refusing to regulate the online casino industry in Australia is the reason why so many punters continue to take their business offshore and why international vendors are reaping the financial benefits.

Is it safe to play at offshore casinos?

The term “offshore casino” may not fill many players with a sense of security, but rest assured there are plenty of legitimate, reputable offshore casinos out there that cater to the Australian market. As these venues operate outside of our borders, they are not restricted by our laws, so as long as they operate under the strict rules and regulations set by their country of jurisdiction, offshore casinos can provide a safe and reliable place for Aussies to play pokies online.

Before signing up and depositing your own money, always check to make sure an offshore casino will accept Australian players, that it is licensed by a reputable gambling jurisdiction and that it is protected by a minimum of 128 Bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) digital encryption technology.

Are online pokies legal in Australia?

The laws surrounding online gambling in Australia are covered under the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) 2001. Under the laws of the IGA, Australian operators are prohibited from running an online pokies site or other interactive gambling service and are prohibited from advertising to players within our country. The loophole in the IGA is there is nothing to prohibit Aussie players from playing at an offshore casino, which is why so many continue to do so.

The wording of this legislation has become outdated as Internet usage and availability continues to change and expand. In 2016 and early this year, an amendment bill to the IGA was introduced to further restrict online gambling in Australia, which resulted in some offshore casinos restricting their services from players on our shores. The laws of the IGA continue to be debated in parliament, but until restrictions are in place that clearly prohibit Australians from participating in real money betting at offshore gambling sites, it remains legal to do so, as long as you are playing at a legitimate, licensed offshore site that is operating above board and free of criminal activity.

Prohibited betting sites

Every gambling jurisdiction has its own terms and conditions regarding which countries it will and will not provide services to. Online pokies sites are all geo-blocked, which means if a site does not accept players from Australia, the venue will recognise your IP address and restrict your access accordingly. While you can get around region blocking using a VPN (virtual private network) you could still face problems when it comes time to withdrawing your winnings. Your best bet is to stick with casino sites that accept players from Australia, like the ones recommended on our site.

Best offshore casinos for online pokies

Given the grey areas surrounding Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act, many offshore vendors continue to extend their services to Aussie players. If you are going to choose to play at an offshore casino, you should first always make sure the venue is licensed by a reputable online gambling jurisdiction, with leading offshore gambling licenses coming from Malta, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Curacao, Isle of Man, Alderney and Kahnawake.

The best offshore casinos will offer a range of pokies available for free and real money play, with games available from leading software providers in user-friendly platform that’s available for both desktop and mobile. When it comes to offshore gambling sites that offer the pokies and continue to accept players from Australia, these are amongst the top-rated venues:

• Slots.lv
• Bodog88
• Joe Fortune
• BetOnline

If you’re interested in giving online pokies a go, sign up for an account at any of these licensed offshore casinos using our links and you can get an exclusive new player welcome bonus to get you started. Pokies at these sites are available for instant-play, which means you can dive right in and play directly over your Web browser without having to download any software.

How to play Web pokies for real money

If you find a safe and reputable casino site that is legally licensed offshore and welcomes Aussie players to sign up, playing online pokies is easy. Once you’ve logged into your casino account, you will need to fund your account by transferring some real money to play with. Offshore casinos offer a range of trustworthy deposit options, including credit card, bank deposit, Neteller, Skrill, Paysafecard, Flexepin and even Bitcoin. The payment options, payment processing times and deposit limits vary between venues, so check the FAQ section of a casino before signing up to make sure it offers what you are looking for.

Once you’ve loaded some funds to your casino wallet, browse the hundreds of pokies available (you will usually find pokies under the ‘slots’ category as that is what pokies are called internationally). Offshore casinos give you the option of trying games for free in practice mode, so you can have a play around between different games to choose one that you like before committing to a real money bet.

When you find a game you like, use the buttons at the bottom of the reels to select your coin size, the number of active paylines and size of your wager. Hit the ‘play’ or ‘spin’ button and watch as the reels come to life for the chance to land a winning symbol combination. If you win, your winnings will automatically be credited to your casino account where you can request to withdraw the cash, or continue to play for the chance to further grow your winnings.