Canberra holds a national oddity: its casino is the only one in Australia not licensed to run poker machines. The pokies live in community clubs instead, and the territory government is cutting their numbers on a published timetable. We cover the land-based scene first, then the federal law behind online play. This is general information for readers aged 18 and over, not legal advice. If gambling ever stops being entertainment, Gambling Help Online answers free on 1800 858 858.
Pokies on the ground in the ACT
A casino without poker machines
Casino Canberra is the exception. Every other casino in the country runs gaming machines; this one is licensed for table games only - around 39 tables of blackjack, roulette and baccarat, plus a poker lounge and TAB facilities. Amendments to the Casino Control Act 2006 to let machines onto the floor were moved twice in the Legislative Assembly and failed both times, with the clubs sector among the opponents. A 2016 in-principle agreement for up to 200 machines, conditional on redevelopment and on buying authorisations from existing holders, never proceeded. Iris Capital bought the venue from Aquis Entertainment for about A$63 million in January 2023, pokies ban included.
Who writes the rules
Gaming machines answer to the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission, an independent authority working under the Gaming Machine Act 2004 and a gambling code of practice. The casino sits under a separate law, the Casino Control Act 2006. Neither act reaches online play.
A club town
Machine rights are split by venue class: licensed clubs run class C gaming machines, while hotels and taverns are restricted to class B. Nearly all of the territory's authorisations sit inside community clubs, so a pokie session in Canberra almost always means a club.
The road to 1,000
The machine count is falling by design. Authorisations dropped from 4,956 in 2018 to 3,494 by May 2025, clearing the government's target of 3,500 ahead of its 1 July 2025 deadline. Venues are paid to let go: A$15,000 per surrendered authorisation, rising to A$20,000 per machine when a venue quits pokies entirely. A 2024 law made further cuts compulsory, and the stated destination is 1,000 machines by 2045. The clubs that depend on that revenue are pushing back; an independent inquiry into the ACT clubs industry reports in early 2026, and a clubs review has warned against cutting pokies income before venues can replace it.
Online pokies and the other Canberra
One rulebook for every postcode
Here is the twist of geography: the law that controls online pokies was written in Canberra, but by the federal parliament, not the territory. The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 reads the same in every Australian postcode. The offence belongs to the operator offering real-money online pokies to Australians, no Australian licence for online casino games exists, and playing is not an offence - no Australian has been prosecuted for it. ACMA enforces the Act and can request ISP blocks.
Territory law adds nothing on top. The ACT issues no online-pokies licence and the Commission vets no casino websites, so every site taking Canberra players runs offshore under a foreign licence. Our legal page covers the full framework.
The view over the border
Neighbours with more machines
Drive a short way east and you are in New South Wales, the largest pokie market in the country, with tens of thousands of machines in pubs and registered clubs under a different regulator - a sharp contrast with Canberra's shrinking club scene, covered on our NSW page. There is a Northern Territory thread too: Iris Capital, owner of the pokie-free Casino Canberra, also owns Lasseters in Alice Springs, where territory rules do allow casino machines - see our NT page. Online, borders change nothing. The rulebook is federal and the budget is yours; our responsible gambling page is where to set it.
Frequently asked questions
For the player, no offence arises - loading an offshore site breaks no law. The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 aims its penalties at operators that serve Australians real-money pokies while holding no local licence, and nobody in Canberra or elsewhere in the country has ever been charged for playing. Those sites answer to a foreign regulator, never the ACT one.
No. It is the only casino in Australia without a poker machine licence; the floor holds around 39 tables plus a poker lounge and TAB facilities. Two attempts to amend the Casino Control Act 2006 and allow machines failed in the Legislative Assembly, and a 2016 deal for up to 200 machines never proceeded.
The ACT Gambling and Racing Commission licenses gaming machines in clubs, hotels and taverns under the Gaming Machine Act 2004, while the casino sits under the Casino Control Act 2006. Online pokies fall outside both acts; they are governed federally by the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, enforced by ACMA.
It is deliberate harm-reduction policy. Authorisations dropped from 4,956 in 2018 to 3,494 by May 2025, beating the 3,500 target set for July 2025, with venues paid A$15,000 per surrendered authorisation. The stated long-run goal is 1,000 machines by 2045, and an inquiry into the clubs industry reports in early 2026.