Queensland's pokies live in its clubs. Roughly 50,000 machines run from suburban RSLs through hotels to the state's four casinos, every one answering to the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR). The one place the state has no say is your phone: online pokies sit under a federal act that reads the same in every state. Both sides are explained below. This is general information, not legal advice, for readers aged 18 and over. If gambling stops being fun, call Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858.
Online pokies follow the national law
Nothing changes at the Queensland border
Whether you open a pokie in Brisbane, Cairns or the Gold Coast, the same federal law applies: the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. It makes offering real-money pokies to Australians without a local licence an offence, and since Australia issues no such licence, the casinos that take Queensland players are based offshore. The offence falls on the operator, not the person playing, and no player has ever been prosecuted. We lay out how that works on our legal page.
Land-based pokies in Queensland
The OLGR as regulator
The machines you can walk up to are a state matter. In Queensland they are licensed and monitored by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR), which handles venue approvals, gaming licences and the harm-minimisation rules that apply inside licensed venues.
Around 50,000 machines and four casinos
Queensland runs a large land-based market: roughly 50,000 poker machines across clubs, hotels and the state's four casinos. That spread, from a suburban RSL to a big resort casino, is all overseen at the state level.
Keeping the two apart
Two systems that do not touch
A Queensland club machine and an offshore pokies site are two systems that do not touch. What travels between them is you and your bankroll, so give that bankroll a hard ceiling before the first spin and treat the ceiling as final. Our responsible gambling page can help you hold it.
Frequently asked questions
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 puts its offence on the operator, never the customer, so a Queensland player faces no charge for spinning pokies at an offshore site, and none has been prosecuted.
The Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) licenses and monitors land-based machines in clubs, hotels and casinos. Its remit ends at the venue floor; online play answers to the federal Interactive Gambling Act 2001 instead.
Roughly 50,000 across clubs, hotels and four casinos, all regulated by the state. That count is land-based only and has nothing to do with online play.
It has none to set. The state's writ covers the machines inside its licensed venues; the moment play moves online, the federal Interactive Gambling Act 2001 takes over, identical in every state.