Texas Holdem Online In Australia


Online poker (and online gambling as a whole) sits in an interesting position in Australia. While there are no laws prohibiting Australians from playing online poker, there are laws that prevent new companies from establishing online gambling operations from within the country or accepting bets from Australians. This has resulted in a situation where there are now no native Australian online poker rooms or casinos, but in which plenty of opportunities still exist for Australian gamblers to play online poker.

Legality of Online Poker in Australia

Strictly speaking, online poker is perfectly legal in Australia. What confusion exists here stems mostly from the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001, which prevented new online casinos from forming inside Australia, and made it a crime for most online gambling sites to accept wagers from players residing inside Australia. For some time there was actually one existing Australia-based online casino that was still legal under the law (which did not effect existing operations at the time the law was passed); however, Lasseters Online closed in late 2008.

However, there are no laws or regulations that make playing online poker illegal in Australia, so players face no risk when playing online. Additionally, despite the fact that the Interactive Gambling Act did make it illegal for operators to service Australian players, most online poker rooms and casinos still allow Australian players to play on their sites.

Issues with Depositing from Australia

Making online poker deposits and withdrawals is a snap for Australians. If you are depositing from Australia, you should have no issues when dealing with online poker sites.

Current Deposit Methods Available To Australians

Similar to most European countries, a wide range of methods are available to Australian poker players for funding their accounts. Australian players can make deposits and process withdrawals using credit and debit cards, popular e-wallet sites like Neteller and Moneybookers, or by directly funding their poker accounts from their bank account (either with direct money wires or through online banking systems). In addition, checks, e-checks and prepaid cards are often available to those who wish to use them.

Taxes on Online Poker Winnings In Australia

Essentially, there are no taxes collected on online poker winnings (or any other gambling winnings) in Australia. We could just stop there, but there is just slightly more to the story than that. Theoretically, if you were a professional gambler who ran their personal gambling operation as a business, and it were your primary business activity, then you may be liable to count your winnings as taxable income. Realistically, however, this is a definition that is extremely unlikely to apply to any poker player, even an incredibly successful and popular one.

Future Outlook For Online Poker In Australia

The long-term outlook for online poker in Australia is unclear. As of late, there has been no significant movement to either liberalize the current laws on online gambling, or crack down on players in any way. Most current debates on gambling in Australia are focused on land-based gambling, meaning that the current state of online poker in Australia is unlikely to change anytime soon.