Bottom line: No Australian authority licenses the offshore online pokies that Australians actually play. Regulation splits in two: the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) enforces the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA-2001) from the Australian side and can ask internet providers to block non-compliant sites, while the operating licence itself is granted offshore, most often by a Curacao regulator and sometimes by Anjouan. So the body that can discipline an operator and the body that licenses it sit in two different countries.
6 July 2026. Regulator roles, the ACMA's blocking power and the offshore licence bodies were checked against public sources on that date. Licensing frameworks, especially in Curacao, are mid-reform, so treat the jurisdiction detail below as a snapshot rather than a fixed fact.
18+. Gamble responsibly. Gambling Help Online: 1800 858 858.
Regulation splits into two halves
Two separate systems govern the online pokies Australians reach, and neither is a single domestic licence. The first half is Australian enforcement: the ACMA polices what may be offered to people in this country under IGA-2001. The second half is the actual operating licence, issued in an offshore jurisdiction such as Curacao. An operator can therefore hold a lawful licence in one country while the ACMA still treats its Australian-facing service as non-compliant here. Reading who "regulates" the pokies means holding both halves in view at once.
The ACMA enforces, it does not license
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is the federal body that administers IGA-2001, and its job is enforcement rather than licensing. The ACMA investigates complaints about prohibited interactive gambling services, publishes formal breach findings, and since November 2019 has been able to have Australian internet providers block access to illegal offshore gambling websites at the DNS level, with several hundred domains blocked to date. What the ACMA does not run is a casino-licensing scheme: there is no application, no register and no approval path by which an online pokies operator can be licensed for the Australian market. Its power is to warn, refer and block, not to permit.
Curacao issues most of the licences
Curacao is the licensing home of most Australian-facing pokies brands, including the operators reviewed on this site. Historically Curacao ran a master-and-sub-licence model overseen by the Curacao Gaming Control Board (GCB). That system is being replaced under the Landsverordening op de kansspelen (LOK) reform, which moves operators onto direct licences issued by a new Curacao gaming authority. For a player, the practical point is steady: the licence that governs the site is Curacaoan, not Australian, so any dispute is handled under that jurisdiction's rules.
Anjouan licenses a smaller share
Anjouan, an autonomous island within the Comoros, is the other licence a minority of these operators hold. Its gaming licences are issued through the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority, and the framework is newer and lighter-touch than Curacao's. An Anjouan licence carries the same limitation as a Curacao one from an Australian standpoint: it is recognised in its home jurisdiction and gives the player no recourse to an Australian regulator.
No Australian regulator covers these sites
Zero Australian agencies license or supervise offshore online pokies. State and territory bodies such as Liquor and Gaming NSW or the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) regulate land-based venues, pokies machines in clubs and pubs, and Australian-licensed operators, not offshore casino websites. Australian-licensed online wagering, meaning sports and race betting, is regulated onshore and does sit under Australian oversight, which is the contrast that confuses people: onshore wagering has an Australian regulator, offshore online pokies do not. If you want an Australian licence behind your gambling, only regulated wagering and physical venues provide one.
What "regulated" is NOT here
- Regulated does not mean Australian-licensed. An offshore pokies site can be fully licensed in Curacao or Anjouan while holding no Australian approval, because none exists to hold.
- Regulated does not mean the ACMA vouches for the site. The ACMA can only enforce against or block a service; it never endorses, rates or certifies an operator.
- Regulated does not mean your money has Australian protection. Complaints, dormant funds and disputes fall under the offshore licence, not the AFCA or an Australian gambling ombudsman.
- Regulated does not mean the same rules as a local pub's pokies. Machine gaming in a venue is state-regulated; an app-based offshore pokie is not, despite looking similar.
Because the protections differ so much, the licence a site holds is one of the first things we record in every pokies review, alongside how withdrawals and terms actually behave. For the player-side question, see are online pokies legal.
Frequently asked questions
No. There is no Australian body that licenses offshore online pokies. The ACMA enforces the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 and can have illegal sites blocked by internet providers, but it issues no casino licences. State regulators such as the VGCCC and Liquor and Gaming NSW oversee land-based venues and Australian wagering, not offshore casino sites.
Most are licensed in Curacao, historically through the Curacao Gaming Control Board and now moving to direct licences under the LOK reform, with a minority licensed in Anjouan. These are offshore licences, so any dispute is handled under that jurisdiction rather than by an Australian regulator.
The ACMA can investigate it, publish a breach finding, and ask Australian internet providers to block the site at the DNS level. It cannot fine you as a player and it cannot license the operator to trade here, because IGA-2001 gives it enforcement powers, not a licensing scheme.
Only within the limits of that offshore jurisdiction. A Curacao or Anjouan licence sets rules the operator must follow at home, but it gives an Australian player no access to Australian consumer or gambling protections, which is why the specific licence a site holds is worth checking before you deposit.
Responsible gambling
A licence tells you who oversees an operator, not whether you are gambling within your means. Set a deposit limit before you play, use the cooling-off and self-exclusion tools every site we cover provides, and treat those controls as the real protection rather than any licence badge.
If you or someone you know needs support:
- Gambling Help Online: gamblinghelponline.org.au - 1800 858 858 (free, 24/7)
- Lifeline Australia: lifeline.org.au - 13 11 14
18+ only.
Reviewed by Jake Mitchell, Senior Pokies Reviewer. Fact-checked by Jacques Delmont, 6 July 2026. Disclosure: we earn a commission from partner links on this page. Commissions do not affect our testing or rankings.
Last verified: 6 July 2026.