How We Test Online Casinos in Australia
When making this rating of the best online casinos of Australia, we took into account several factors:
- Accessibility for Australian players. We do not pay attention to sites that are only accessible using a VPN.
- English language and currency support including suitable ways to deposit and withdraw funds.
- Licence availability. We add gambling establishments that have received an official permit only.
- Sufficient game list. The larger it is, the more satisfied users casino has, right?
- Large bonus program. Top online casinos usually provide cashbacks, unique prizes, and tournaments as well as gifts with and without a deposit.
- Mobile version. It is a vital factor of the online casino competitiveness. Most users prefer to gamble using their smartphone or tablet. Thus, each item in our rating has an application, a downloadable version, or could be launched with any device.
- The security and customer service. All casinos on our list protect user data with SSL encryption and use a random number generator to ensure fair play.
License
If the gambling establishment is licensed, you can be sure that playing here is safe and fair. For those wishing to obtain a license, the authorities have a large number of requirements. For example, online casinos in Australia should cooperate with law enforcement agencies to prove the safety of financial transactions, limit the flow of financial resources (to avoid money laundering), provide all employees with accreditation, ensure the confidentiality of user data, and so on. You can check the availability of the document on the official website of the casino. As a rule, licensing information is indicated in small print at the very bottom of the website.
Security & Customer Service
The security issue is one of the most important when choosing an online casino. One of the most reliable digital encryption is 128-bit SSL. This system is used by most sites that we recommend, which ensures complete confidentiality of your data.
No less important is the issue with customer service because every trustworthy casino should have established communication with their visitors. High-quality sites provide several ways of contacting their support team: as a rule, this is a live chat on the site, phone number, email address, and accounts on social networks. Our rating includes online casinos that have a sufficient choice of communication methods and provide a detailed FAQ section.
Software
The best online casinos include products from global developers. In Australia, Aristocrat, Playtech, Betsoft, NetEnt, Microgaming, and NextGen Gaming are among the most popular game developers. Each online casino from our rating has a filter by developers, using which you can easily see the products of a particular brand.
As part of our ranking, we present those sites that offer users an impressive assortment of online games creators including both world leaders in production and budding startups. The developers we trust use Random Number Generators (RNG’s) to create algorithms for their products, which guarantees legitimate winnings and fair play. Audit organisations like eCogra are usually responsible for this setting.
Games
A variety of games is one of the most significant factors in the competitiveness of online casinos. To be on top, a gambling establishment needs to have several thousand games available – this is considered the best indicator. In the process of compiling the rating, we have evaluated not only the number of games presented but also the variety of genres as well as the quality and reputation of each product and its developer. Regardless of whether you play online casino slots or pokies, scratchies, blackjack, or roulette, in an online casino from our rating you will enjoy any genre.
Payment Options
When choosing an online casino, you need to familiarise yourself with the proposed banking methods carefully. This is a crucial question because replenishment and withdrawal of funds are critical issues in this case, aren’t they?
Which casinos support Australian dollars (AUD), can you use Visa or Mastercard, is a bank transfer available too, which electronic wallets a casino supports — in our online casino reviews, we pay special attention to all these questions.
Bonuses and Promotions
Each online casino offers its visitors various bonuses and gifts. In some cases, they are available even without registration, but usually, the most generous gifts are waiting for you after replenishing your deposit account. Casino bonuses are divided into several types: Bonus codes, Match bonuses, No deposit bonuses, Free spins, and Cashback. Each casino has its own rules regarding the amount and duration of bonuses. You should pay attention to the conditions of each online casino before starting a game.
How to Choose an Online Casino?
To get the brightest emotions from gambling, you need to approach the choice of online casinos responsibly. First of all, you should familiarise yourself with our rating, because it contains the best online casinos in Australia. If you want to conduct an independent analysis, carefully study the website of the casino chosen. Find a license, payout information, a list of available games, and so on.
Real gamblers’ reviews state the actual reliability and integrity of a certain casino, problems with payments, etc. Before starting agame, look at the reviews of the chosen online casino. Also, pay attention to the period of its presence on the market. A new online casino with huge no deposit bonuses should alert you. Also, an unreliable casino could not be maintained on the market for a long time under conditions of high competition and would have received a lot of negative feedback from customers instantly.
Types of Online Casino
Online casinos are divided into three types. The first one is download casinos. Those casinos open access to its games only when players download and install software to their computers . The second type is Instant Play casinos. A gambler has the same opportunities and the same games as in downloadable casinos but without a need to download any software. The most important is to have high-speed Internet and installed Flash or Java plug-ins. The third type is mobile casinos. Thanks to this option, players can launch casinos directly on their devices: smartphones or tablets. Many casinos offer to download their application, thanks to which you can start a game anywhere.
Download Casinos
Before you start playing in this kind of an online casino, you need to install special software on your computer. Your expectation and patience will be rewarded – as a rule, download casinos assume the best sound and graphics settings.
In this case, two things must be foreseen: check the availability of free space on your hard drive for downloading and installing online casinos, and determine how reliable and safe the casino is so as not to infect your computer system with any virus dragged along with it.
Instant Play Casinos
Instant Play Casinos allow you to play online games without downloading special software. With it, you get instant access to your favorite products through any web browser. Instant Play is convenient, fast and safe because you do not need to download additional programs, wasting time and putting your device at risk. Besides, you can start the game from any device, no matter whether it is a smartphone, tablet, computer or laptop. The only condition is that you must have a reliable Internet connection.
There are several software types for such casinos: Flash, Java, and HTML5. Instant Play is an excellent opportunity for those players who appreciate a quick connection to games. It is worth noting that, in this case, the full functionality of an online casino is available to you without any restrictions.
Mobile Casinos
You can launch an online casino from your smartphone in two ways: in a browser or by downloading an application for Android or iOS. For the first option, you need good high-speed Internet. A mobile version is usually no different from a browser one unless a casino provides you with better graphics in a browser.
Online Casino Games
Australian online casinos offer a wide variety of games. On average, the number of games in a quality casino is one thousand or more. Also, a detailed filter or a search bar helps you to find the product you need quickly. However, in most online gaming halls, you will find a division into the following categories: pokies, card games, roulette, virtual sports, board games. Also, many casinos sometimes include products like Monopoly, Deal or No Deal, keno, and others in their game list. Equally popular are sketch cards with instant wins, craps and tournaments. Read the article further to learn more about the popular types of online casino games.
Pokies
Today pokies or slot machines, without a doubt, are the most extensive and demanded gambling products. All of them can be divided into two broad groups: modern (pokies that are more reminiscent of full-fledged video games with multi-level gameplay, innovative design solutions, and a well-thought-out storyline) and classic ones (standard pokies reminiscent of machines in a land-based casino).
According to statistical studies, more than a half of all regular casino visitors prefer slot machines. The reason for this popularity is the unpredictability of the result and the extreme simplicity of the gameplay with addictive gameplay. Some of the most popular pokies today are Mega Moolah (Microgaming), Starburst (NetEnt), Cleopatra, Wolf Treasure (IGTech).
Roulette
Roulette is a gambling game that has a playing field with 36 numbers. A drum is located on it, where a ball launched by a croupier or a mechanism rolls along with a rotating wheel with numbered cells. The meaning of the game is to get the ball into the cell with a winning number. The main types of roulette games are European, American, and French Roulette. However, there are also original options such as a mini roulette wheel without a zero and so on.
Table Games
This category includes games like baccarat, blackjack, poker, keno and their varieties. Unlike pokies where fortune determines your win, in table games, you can show your ingenuity, intelligence, and experience. In table casino games, gamblers can hold absolute control over the game in their hands. The process, the result of which depends on the user’s own decisions, brings a much brighter and more intense sensation filling blood with adrenaline. Therefore, it is the casino board games that are associated with experienced players who have a much more vivid feeling of the atmosphere of risk and excitement. Besides, some online casinos offer games with live dealers, which adds excitement.
Games with Live Dealer
Live casinos with live dealers immerse you in the atmosphere of a real game in Las Vegas casinos. Advanced technologies allow developers to submit a high-quality video to the operator’s website and broadcast it to players in excellent quality. Most often, live dealers supervise board games as well as some kinds of lottery draws, bingo, and card games. The most popular game with live dealers is roulette. Currently, several of its varieties are known to differ in rules and playing field. Such live games as poker, baccarat, blackjack, wheel of fortune, and others are also in high demand among players.
Popular Online Casino Banking Methods
For beginners, the most convenient way to replenish and withdraw funds in online casinos are bank cards. Almost every casino supports Visa and MasterCard. More advanced users prefer to use e-wallets such as PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, or POLi. Before making financial transactions, it is necessary to study the conditions for making payments, the timing of crediting funds, the availability of a commission, and so on carefully. To find out correctly which payment methods you can use in an Australian online casino, scroll down the main page of its website to see logos of affordable payment systems. Besides, you can check the Terms and Conditions section.
Visa and MasterCard
Visa and Mastercard are two most popular banking methods. They work great in tandem with online casinos and provide fast and reliable deposit and withdrawal of funds with a tiny commission. These companies allow you to complete transactions in a fully encrypted way so that other persons are not able to access your payment information. The percentage of the commission depends on your bank, and transactions usually take from a few seconds to three days.
Neteller
Neteller is one of the most widely used banking systems accepted in many online casinos. It is available in 160 countries and supports most major currencies. The main advantage of this payment system is that winnings from online gambling can be sent directly to your Neteller account. The withdrawal of funds takes from a few seconds to three days, a commission of up to 5% may also be charged. Deposits are instant.
Skrill
Gamblers can use Skrill to fund their online casino account in two different ways. One of them is to create a Skrill account on the site, which will take you only a few minutes. Another option is to receive a Skrill prepaid card available in many countries. The withdrawal of funds takes from several seconds to seven days, a commission of up to 3.99% may also be charged. Deposits are instant.
POLi
POLi Payments is one of the most popular online payment systems in Australia and New Zealand. With POLi, payments in a casino are made through online banking. To make a payment, you need to select a payment system and enter the amount for the transfer. For transactions with POLi, there is no need to bind a credit card account, which adds convenience to the system. Transaction processing takes up to three days, and a commission of up to 2.5% may also be charged. Most often, transactions are instant.
Gambling Laws in Australia
In 2001, Australia introduced the Interactive Gambling Act. According to it, in Australia, it is forbidden to offer gambling and unlicensed iGaming products to Australian customers as well as to provide Australian gambling to residents of other countries. By law, it is forbidden to play roulette, blackjack, online poker, and slots. However, the law allows sports bets and auto racing. Also, online lotteries and instant-winning sketch cards are considered legal gambling in Australia.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that the state of Australia is very controversial about gambling. Firstly, there is no punishment for players who visit and play online casinos even if they are residents of Australia. Thus, only a casino violates the law, but not its visitors. Secondly, despite the law on the prohibition of gambling, online casino advertising flickers even on the official website of the Australian Post payment system POLi. Thus, we can say that the state of Australia is very lenient about gambling and there is no danger for online casino visitors.
Online Casino Bonuses
Bonus system is an integral part of every online casino. A gambling establishment defines the amount of available bonuses individually. According to the rules of an online casino bonus program, usually you can get a significant bonus, trial money to test your luck, or consolation prizes in case of loss.
The most common types of bonuses that can be found in almost every online casino: deposit, no deposit, and cashback. It’s common when an Australian casino offers both no deposit bonuses and free spins. It is worth noting that a player could withdraw bonus money only following online casino conditions. Usually, gambler needs to wager it. Before participating in the promotion, carefully study its terms on the website of the selected casino to enjoy bonuses to the maximum.
No Deposit Bonus
No deposit bonus (or a welcome bonus) is a popular way to greet players and encourage them to complete registration. In exchange for registering, an Australian online casino with no deposit bonus credits money or free spins to your account so that you can immediately feel the taste of the game with minimal losses. After receiving the bonus in an Australian no deposit online casino, you can immediately start wagering the money received. Please note that the bonus policy in online casinos has its conditions.
Deposit Bonus
A deposit bonus is issued to encourage players to deposit their own money. Casino operators promote these bonuses most often . Usually, such a bonus is published as a part of the deposit amount and is sometimes accompanied by a certain amount of free spins.
Cashback
Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose – this is the nature of the game. As a rule, players take the loss to heart but online casinos would not want gamblers to leave the casino in a bad mood. As an incentive bonus, casinos can provide you with a cashback amount for the entire amount that you have lost before. Another good option is to offer individual free spins to players who are unlucky today.
