Key facts
- For Australians, the register that matters is ACMA's Register of licensed interactive gambling providers. It had 214 entries on 9 October 2026, each with its licensing authority.
- No online casino or online pokies site is on it, because those services cannot legally be offered to people in Australia.
- An offshore licence can be checked on the regulator's own register: the Curacao Gaming Authority's PDF lists, the MGA Licensee Register and URL Checker, and Kahnawake's permit holder list.
- A genuine licence badge links to the regulator's own website and names the exact domain you are on.
- A real licence does not guarantee a complaints route. Curacao's regulator says resolving player disputes is not within its mandate.
The two checks
Checking a casino licence means answering two separate questions, and Australians need both:
- Is this site legal to use in Australia? Check ACMA's register. If the provider is not on it, it is not licensed here.
- Is its overseas licence real? Check the regulator it names, on that regulator's own website.
The first check settles the law. Online casino games and online pokies cannot legally be offered to people in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, so no online casino will ever pass it. The second check tells you whether an offshore site is at least what it claims to be. It is worth doing, but it does not change the answer to the first.
Step 1: check the ACMA register
ACMA's Register of licensed interactive gambling providers is the official list of online gambling services that are legal for people in Australia. On 9 October 2026 it had 214 entries. Each row shows:
| Column | What to check |
|---|---|
| Trading name | The brand you see on the site or app |
| Licence holder | The company that holds the licence |
| URL | The exact web address; some phone-only bookmakers show "No current URL" |
| Licensing authority | The state or territory regulator, such as Liquor & Gaming NSW, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission or South Australia's Consumer and Business Services |
You can search the table or download it as CSV or JSON. Match the web address character by character: copycat sites rely on a close-but-wrong domain.
Every provider on it is licensed by an Australian state or territory regulator. ACMA says you can complain to it if a gambling provider is not on the register, or if a licensed provider is offering credit or in-play betting. For other problems with a licensed provider, you go to the licensing authority shown in the last column.
Step 2: find the licence claim on the site
If you are looking at an offshore casino, its licence claim is usually in the footer and in the terms and conditions. Write down three things:
- the company name and, if shown, its registration number
- the licence number
- the regulator that supposedly issued it
Formats vary by regulator. Licences issued by the Curacao Gaming Authority under its newer rules use numbers such as OGL/2024/1340/0996. Operators claiming an Anjouan licence quote numbers beginning ALSI. If a site shows only a logo, or words like "licensed and regulated" with no company and no number, that is already a warning sign.
Step 3: check the regulator's own register
Look the company and the domain up on the regulator's website, typed in yourself rather than reached through a link on the casino.
| Regulator | Where to look | What you can check | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA) | License register on cga.cw | PDF lists of online gaming licences, certificates and an enforcement register | The CGA says the lists do not guarantee a licence is currently valid; its online portal was offline on 9 October 2026 during a platform move |
| Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) | Licensee Register and URL Checker on mga.org.mt | Search by licensee name, authorisation status, URL or gaming service | Make sure the URL you are on is the one listed |
| Kahnawake Gaming Commission | Permit holders page on gamingcommission.ca | The list of permit holders; a Certificate of Good Standing from the logo | The certificate reflects the Commission's database at the time you request it |
| Anjouan | No official register we could verify | The operator's own claim only | Treat an Anjouan claim as unverified |
Our explainers on the Curacao gaming licence, the Malta Gaming Authority licence, the Kahnawake gaming licence and the Anjouan gaming licence cover each regulator in more depth.
Step 4: check the badge, not just the logo
A licence badge is only useful if it proves something. Click it and check:
- It opens the regulator's own domain, such as cga.cw, mga.org.mt or gamingcommission.ca, not a page on the casino's site or a lookalike.
- It names the domain you are on. A certificate for a different web address does not cover this one.
- The company and licence number match what the site's terms say.
- The status is current. The CGA's certificates, for example, show the grant date and whether the licence is active.
Domain mismatches happen. In one desk review we did, the regulator's certificate behind a hidden badge named a different domain from the site displaying it, and that other domain was on ACMA's blocked list. Kahnawake says players can click its logo to generate a Certificate of Good Standing for a properly licensed site, so a Kahnawake logo that does nothing is a red flag.
Step 5: check ACMA's blocked list
ACMA asks internet providers to block illegal gambling websites and publishes the list. It says 1,822 illegal gambling and affiliate websites had been blocked since November 2019, as of 24 September 2026. A site on that list, or one that keeps changing its address to stay ahead of it, is telling you something about how it treats rules. Our guide to ACMA blocked gambling sites explains how blocking works.
What a licence does not tell you
A genuine offshore licence proves a regulator knows the company exists. It does not prove much more.
| Belief | Reality |
|---|---|
| Licensed overseas means legal here | No. Online casinos cannot legally be offered to people in Australia |
| A licence guarantees I can complain | The CGA says resolving disputes between players and operators is not within its mandate |
| The regulator will get my winnings back | ACMA says Australian regulators cannot help if an illegal operator withholds winnings; offshore complaint processes we read promise review, not payment |
| The badge proves it | Only if it opens the regulator's site and names this domain |
| A long list of licences means safe | Each licence is only as useful as what that regulator will do for a player |
If something has already gone wrong, see how to complain about an online casino for who you can approach. If you were asked to pay to release winnings, read our guide to online casino scams first.
Pundit tip: do the check before you deposit, not after. Five minutes on a regulator's register is the cheapest protection you will ever get.
Gambling should never be a way to make money. If it is starting to feel like one, Gambling Help is free on 1800 858 858, 24/7.
Our partner sites
Terms checked 8 to 9 October 2026We earn a commission if you join through these links; it pays for the site and does not change the facts we show. Listed in no particular order. Every detail comes from the casino's own terms, except ACMA notes, which come from ACMA's blocked list. These are offshore casinos without an Australian licence, so BetStop and Australian dispute services do not cover them: read whether online pokies are legal in Australia and our affiliate disclosure.Commission links. Offshore sites with no Australian licence or BetStop cover: is it legal?
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- luckyones.com, luckyones1.com and luckyones7.com are on ACMA's blocked list (8 Oct 2026)Main domain on ACMA's blocked list
Wild Tokyo
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- States a Curacao eGaming licence (no number shown)
18+ Offers and terms change often; the casino's own terms always apply. Never gamble money you need. Free help: Gambling Help 1800 858 858, 24/7.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if an online casino is licensed?
Find the licence claim in the site's footer or terms (company name, licence number and regulator), then look that company and domain up on the regulator's own register. Never rely on a badge alone: click it and check it opens the regulator's site and names the domain you are on.
Is a Curacao licence legal in Australia?
No. A licence from Curacao, Malta, Kahnawake, Anjouan or anywhere else does not make an online casino legal here. Under the Interactive Gambling Act, online casino games and pokies cannot legally be offered to people in Australia, whatever the operator's overseas licence.
What is the casino licence lookup for Australia?
ACMA's Register of licensed interactive gambling providers, on the ACMA website. It lists each provider's trading name, licence holder, website and licensing authority, and can be downloaded as CSV or JSON.
Does a licence mean I can complain to the regulator?
Not necessarily. The Curacao Gaming Authority says it does not handle individual complaints. The MGA and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission have player complaint forms, but both expect you to go to the operator first, and neither page we read promises an outcome.
Why is a licensed casino blocked in Australia?
Because an overseas licence does not make it legal to offer online casino games to Australians. ACMA asks internet providers to block illegal gambling sites, and says 1,822 illegal gambling and affiliate websites had been blocked since November 2019, as of September 2026.
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