Advice for online gambling consumers
You have consumer protections when using online gambling services.
Australian Consumer Law applies to products and services consumers buy from all businesses in Australia, including gambling businesses.
It's illegal for businesses to:
- behave in a misleading or deceptive way
- act unconscionably, including by taking unfair advantage of you, for example by giving you documents they know you won't understand
- claim to offer gifts, rebates or prizes and then not provide them
- offer gifts or benefits as an incentive to refer someone else to them.
Australian online wagering providers must honour your consumer rights and meet their gaming licence requirements.
These providers are regulated in the state they are licensed in. In Queensland the regulator is the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR).
National consumer protection framework
The National consumer protection framework for online wagering (the framework)—jointly developed by the Australian and state governments—outlines a series of minimum consumer protections online wagering providers must follow.
It provides consistent, easy-to-use tools and information to ensure consumers receive responsible service and help to control their gambling.
Read the framework fact sheet.
Queensland consumer protections
Queensland has enhanced the protections set out in the framework.
In Queensland, online gambling providers and on-course bookmakers:
- can't offer credit or a voucher, reward or benefit to try to get someone to open a betting account or refer someone else to open an account
- must allow 'bonus bet' winnings to be withdrawn without having to any turn them over
- must follow strict rules around direct marketing, including
- only sending marketing messages to customers who expressly agree to receive them
- allowing customers to easily unsubscribe from receiving them
- not sending direct marketing materials to an unsubscribed customer.
Complaints
If you believe an online provider has breached your consumer rights, you should talk to the business first to give them the opportunity to explain or investigate the issue.
If you don't get a satisfactory response, you can lodge a complaint with the government agency that issued the provider's licence—this should be displayed on the gambling provider's website.
You can also check licensed gambling providers on the Australian Communications and Media Authority website.
Find out how to make a complaint to OLGR about a Queensland gaming licensee.
Many online wagering providers are licensed and regulated by the Northern Territory Government—see a list of gambling operators licensed in the Northern Territory. Read about resolving complaints and disputes on the NT Consumer Affairs website.
Help for gambling harm
If you or someone you care about is at risk of gambling-related harm, reach out to Gambling Help Queensland for free and confidential advice and support.
Use BetStop—the National Self-Exclusion RegisterTM to block yourself from all phone and online gambling providers.
Access more support for problem gambling.