New South Wales – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations

Find the Best Australian Casino Online

New South Wales is home to some of the most iconic casinos in Australia. As you would expect, most of them are centered around the state capital Sydney. We recommend checking out the Star Hotel. If you are a high roller, the luxurious Crown Casino might be the best choice, but it is insanely pricey. We’ll provide you with more information about the top locations in New South Wales later on in this guide. Please note the minimum age for gambling in the state is 18.

The bad news is that online gambling in New South Wales is officially illegal but the government does not block international online casinos. Therefore, many players still chose to play at foreign-based sites, but you should be aware of the risk involved. As the government has no jurisdiction over these sites, it is impossible to retrieve your funds in case of a legal dispute. For that reason, it is vital to pick a site that is licensed by a reputable and trustworthy regulator.   

• Check the jurisdiction of the online casino beforehand
• Does the casino accept players from New South Wales?
• Do you have access to the accepted payment methods?
• Is the casino properly licensed to ensure fair gaming?
• The minimum age for gambling in New South Wales is 18

You can find out more about the trusted international online casinos that accept players from New South Wales by checking out our GoodLuckMate top lists and casino reviews.

Gambling Regulation – New South Wales Casino Authority

New South Wales also has a long history when it comes to the gaming industry. It was one of the first Australian states to officially establish horse racing tracks. Later on, the state was on the forefront once more when the first legal “Pokie Machine” machine was installed. “Pokies” is the word for slot machines in Australia. 

Today, most land-based forms of gambling in New South Wales are fully regulated and legal. In 1995, the first official casino was established in Sydney but now many more gambling establishments can be found all throughout the state. The most popular gambling activity is the lottery that is managed by the officially licensed lottery operator “Tatts”. You can choose between several draws, such as Powerball, Oz Lotto, and Saturday Lotto, for example. Horse racing betting is also quite big in New South Wales and is controlled by Racing NSW. 

In 2001, the Interactive Gambling Act was introduced in Australia. This made all forms of online gambling and advertising for such activities illegal in the country. Technically, this is also true for foreign-based operators – however, it is not illegal for Australians to access such sites. 

Localized Online Casinos

As already specified, players from New South Wales have still the opportunity to sign up at foreign-based online casinos. Generally, all international online casinos offer English site-language and English-speaking customer support. Due to the Interactive Gambling Act, gambling sites are not allowed to advertise their games and services to Australian players anymore. As a result, it is unlikely that you will find any promotions or bonus offers specifically targeting players from New South Wales. Luckily, most sites have an international welcome offer that can also be claimed by Australian players. Nevertheless, we recommend reading through the terms and conditions carefully before signing up as this is not always the case.   

Gambling with Australian Dollars

Australian dollars are accepted at all land-based casinos in New South Wales. You can play table games in the local currencies, as well as pokies and several other gaming machines. Pokies can even be found outside of casinos, in restaurants and bars, for example, where you can play with coins and bills. Obviously, the local horse racing tracks and bookmakers accept Australian dollars as well. It is possible to play with Australian dollars at many international online casinos but not all of them support the currency. Alternatively, you can make a direct deposit in US dollars or euros for a small currency exchange fee with your local credit card. 

Casinos in New South Wales

Almost all the state-of-the-art casinos in New South Wales are located in Sydney. The most well-known gambling facility is the Star Hotel and Casino overlooking the Darling Harbour in Pyrmont. This is the second biggest casino in the whole country. Only the famous Crown Casino in Melbourne is slightly bigger. The Star Casino features more than 1,500 slot machines and roughly 150 table games. There is also a separate poker room with more than 30 tables, weekly tournaments, and daily cash game session. The famous Australian “World Series of Poker” is hosted here. 

Another highlight is the brand new Crown Casino Sydney, which is operated by the same group as the casino in Melbourne with the same name. It is part of the world-class six-star Crown hotel. It offers VIP gaming facilities and specifically caters towards high rollers. 

If you are interested in playing online, you can try your luck at one of the foreign-based online casinos. Operators from Curaçao, Anjouan, or Costa Rica typically still accept players from New South Wales. Good luck!