Just when you thought it was safe to play at Australian online casinos, you hear the music. That ominous music that makes you think something bad is about to happen. No, Jaws is not about to attack. Instead, the ACMA is back on the prowl yet again.
This time around, the ACMA has decided to add another eight online casinos to their block list. ISPs must now restrict access to these sites. Australian citizens must continue to be told what they can and cannot do with their money as the ACMA and others continue to attack online gambling sites.
ACMA Adds Another 8 Sites to Block List
Last week, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) released its latest witch hunt list against eight online casino sites that presently accept Australian citizens. The sites added to the block list include:
- Nordicasino
- Planet 7 Oz
- Reeltastic
- Ace Pokies
- Enzo Casino
- Royal Spinz
- Spintropolis
- Times Square Casino
The article on the ACMA website claims that these sites were added to the list after “numerous complaints about these services, including complaints about withholding winnings and poor player treatment.” The company then supposedly conducted investigations and concluded that the sites violate the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001.
Of course, we all know that the IGA prohibits all online gambling sites that are not licensed in Australia. Online casinos are not licensed in the state and only certain forms of gambling are permitted. These sites do not meet the exclusions of the IGA and are considered in “violation” despite being reputable and operating in other parts of the world without incident.
ISPs in Australia will now be instructed to block these sites and prohibit players from visiting them. The ACMA is now urging players at the sites listed above to withdraw their funds. Of course, you have other options.
Block List Now at 92
According to last week’s report, there are now 92 “illegal gambling websites” on the ISP block list. The list was first announced back in November 2019 and has been updated every few months. At the end of July, the ACMA added 11 sites to the list. They added 10 to the list back in May.
The ACMA also claims that over 100 illegal services have left Australia since they stared enforcing offshore gambling rules back in 2017. Based on past patterns, you can expect the group to block even more sites within the next month or two.
Why block access to the sites at the ISP level? The ACMA claims that “website blocking provides a valuable opportunity to alert the public to illegal gambling services through the messaging that appears when there is an attempt to access the site.” Still want to play at one of the sites listed above or one of the sites on the list? Continue reading.
Consider Using a VPN to Get Around the Block
In case you are not already doing so, you should consider using a VPN to get around ISP blocks. We wrote about this a few months ago, but we figure that it bears repeating. A Virtual Private Network, or VPN, will provide a secure tunnel to another server and you will use that server for your web browsing.
Imagine connecting to someone’s computer using Zoom, and that person making a phone call on their mobile and putting it on speaker. The VPN server is like that cell phone. You are using that server to surf the web.
Just connect to a VPN server outside of Australia and surf to your online casino site. From there, you can play as normal while connected to a VPN.
VPN is a great way to get around these blocks, at least for now. There may come a time where ISPs start blocking VPN access. That is fairly unlikely as there are many uses for the technology that have nothing to do with gambling. For now, VPN can act as a great workaround until the Australian government comes out of the dark ages regarding online casino gambling.