Legal Gambling Age In Australia
Australia boasts arguably the most vibrant and diverse gambling scene in the world. Whether you enjoy hitting the blackjack tables at a traditional casino, willing your gallopers home from the track-side, or kicking back with a few beers and a bet at the local pub – there is something for everyone.
Recent figures show more than 80% of Australian adults participate in some form of gambling, making it one of the country’s largest and most lucrative industries. As such, there are strict rules and regulations the operators and we punters alike must follow, to make sure everything is safe, fair and legal. The most important is the enforcement of laws concerning the legal gambling age.
At What Age is it Legal to Bet in Australia?
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In Australia, all participants in licensed games of chance must be at least 18 years of age. Each state is responsible for its own gambling legislature, with certain regulations varying from state to state, but the legal gambling age is fixed nationwide. Failure to comply with these laws is considered a criminal offence, and venues that allow under-age gambling can suffer severe penalties – including the removal of their gaming license.
Australian Laws for Online Casinos
The last decade has witnessed an enormous boom in Internet gambling, and an equally sharp rise in public discussion regarding gaming laws. The Australian Government has approved plenty of legislation on the matter in recent years, but many punters are unsure as to how that affects their right to gamble on the Web.
Prior to 2017, online gambling laws under the Interactive Gaming Act 2001 in Australia presented a bit of a grey area. While there were tight restrictions with regards to operating and advertising online gambling services in Australia, it remained perfectly legal for citizens to use online casinos in this country, provided the casino was operated from overseas.
Following the introduction of the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 in September 2017, the grey areas were clarified and it was made clear that offshore casino sites would no longer be legally able to service the Australian market. If an offshore casino continues to welcome Australian players, they are doing so illegally and are at risk of prosecution, however, there is nothing in the Amendment Bill to prosecute Australians who continue to service these offshore websites. Given the strict laws prohibiting online gambling, we do not endorse any casino sites for Australian players. Any information we provide regarding online gambling is intended for international readers only.
Web casinos are subject to the same basic laws as all brick-and-mortar venues. All players must be 18 years or over, and site operators can request that account holders present evidence of various ID and proof-of-age documents – just as the security staff at a land-based gambling establishment would do. Such documents include:
- Driver’s license
- Passport
- Birth certificate
- Citizenship certificate
- State-issued ID card
Legal online gambling in Australia
Australia does have a thriving online gambling scene despite the crackdown on offshore casino sites.
Legal types of gambling in all states includes sports betting and lotteries with states and territories regulating them.
LottoLand has changed the face of traditional lotteries in Australia with it now possible to bet on the out come of many different draws around the world.
Online betting sites in Australia operate in a very regulated environment with it also a crowded market place, with the latest bookie to enter the fray n 2017 being Neds.com.au.
Other big betting companies include Crownbet, Sportsbet and William Hill.
State Gambling Authorities in Australia
As we mentioned earlier, each state and territory is charged with the legislation, supervision and licensing of gaming in its own jurisdiction. For more information on gambling regulations in your state, please check out the organisations below:
Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales
Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing
Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority
Northern Territory
Queensland
South Australia
Independent Gambling Authority
Consumer and Business Services
Tasmania
Victoria
Western Australia
Every teenager eventually runs into prohibitions based on age. To a 15-year-old it’s understandable why a 5-year-old shouldn’t be allowed to drive.
But why do you have to wait another year to get a driver’s license?
And if you have a summer job, why can’t you spend your money on alcohol, cigarettes, and gambling the way 18-year-old or 21-year old friends and relatives do?
Everyone feels “mature enough” to make mature decisions before their elders say they’re ready.
Reflecting upon all the factors a gambling establishment, either online or land-based must consider, several reasons come to mind.
Age of Majority
This seems to be the most important factor.
Despite any precocious emotional or intellectual maturity young people may possess, in most jurisdictions, an age of majority prevails.
The age of majority determines when an individual can enter into legally binding contracts. A law-abiding gambling company cannot do business with minors.
Every member of an online casino must register and honestly affirm their age. To collect winnings they must prove their identity and age eligibility.
If a minor successfully enters a land-based casino, plays a game, and collects a modest stake, the casino has broken the law. The young player may get away with it.
Not only do they not have to honor the win they legally cannot.
Laws Governing Gambling Activities
Governments around the world decided not to allow minors to gamble in licensed establishments. Gambling laws take the decision out of the casinos’ hands.
Many teens learn how to play blackjack, poker, roulette, and other gambling games at home or from their friends.
They may even play for money in unlicensed gaming situations.
If caught by authorities the teens may not be prosecuted, but game organizers would almost certainly be arrested.
Teens’ parents are also held accountable for the behavior of their children.
Age restrictions on gambling fall into a complex system of laws designed to protect young individuals from making life-destroying choices.
Emotional and Intellectual Maturity is Vital to Managing Risk
Legal Age Of Consent In Australia
While few fully mature adults (estimates range from 5% to 10%) are considered gambling addicts, many acquired addictive habits while still adolescents.
Science is still uncertain about when people become fully mature adults. In 2014 the National Academy of Sciences proposed that ages 18-26 be considered the final stage of emotional and intellectual development.
The truth is that science has yet to show at what age the general population can make good choices about risky behavior. This goes well beyond gambling and into many types of activities.
Teens are not permitted to compete in many types of professional sports. They may lack the physical characteristics and training to compete, but their mental abilities are not yet ripe.
Social concerns about teens’ readiness to make important choices are reinforced by one disturbing study: a 20-year study found that children experiencing stress do mature faster than their peers.
This is not a justification for allowing some teens to gamble, smoke, drink, or take other risks. It’s clear confirmation that young people are not naturally ready to make adult choices. Gambling is all about risk, and society has deemed it’s too risky for young individuals.
Gambling Requires Financial Responsibility
If you gamble, you’re staking something of value. In both online and offline gambling establishments, money is at stake.
And gamblers are expected to cover their losses.
Unfortunately, this is easy to do with debt. You can borrow $1000 and take it to the casino. All the casino can do is insist you put money on the table before they allow you to pay.
Online casinos can only insist you deposit funds into your account before playing.
An emancipated teenager has the right to earn a supporting income, but most teens are not emancipated. Without the ability to enter into legal contracts, they can’t even borrow money.
Legal Gambling Age In Oregon
Ironically, even though casinos don’t care where you get your money, they need you to bring in new money every time you gamble.
They’re counting on your losses for their profits.
Having a steady income, being able to support yourself, and budgeting a reasonable amount for entertainment makes you a more desirable customer for a casino. A business that depends on financially unstable teenagers accepts greater risks than most casinos do.
Younger People Are More Susceptible to Addictive Behavior
Although science still has much to learn about how the brain develops and works, recent findings show that adolescents are more prone to addiction than adults.
An individual who grows to adulthood in a supportive, healthy environment is less likely to become an addict.
Legal Gambling Age In Michigan
There are no guarantees in life, but requiring teens to wait before taking some risks helps them later in life.
Gambling addiction is the number 1 reason why some organizations oppose the spread of organized, legal gambling. The cost to society of treating addiction is calculable.
But that cost rises as one considers secondary issues, such as criminal behavior driven by addiction. Many crimes are committed by non-addicted people, but the connection between addiction and crime is undisputed.
Age-restrictive laws are intended to ensure that young people have a fair chance to grow to full maturity in safe environments. By holding adults accountable for how they interact with teenagers, society hopes to prevent some exploitative situations. And let’s face it: some adults are unscrupulous enough to intentionally manipulate less mature teens into bad situations.
What Is the Youngest Legal Gambling Age in the World?
It’s impossible to be sure, but this Wikipedia article lists no age restriction for a Category D gaming machine in the United Kingdom.
The same article includes a few other restrictionless forms of gambling:
- Private or non-commercial gaming and betting
- Equal chance gaming (prize gaming permitted or licensed family entertainment)
- Prize gaming at an unlicensed family entertainment centre or traveling fair
- The United Kingdom also permits 16-year-olds to gamble in:
- National lottery
- Scratch off ticket games
- Football pools
Another country enacting unusual gambling laws is Afghanistan.
They forbid all land-based gambling activities, but anyone of any age can gamble in an online system. Afghanistan may not be known for its high-speed Internet, but cell phones are widely used there. The Wikipedia article says that Tunisia may have inadvertently made gambling legal for all ages by failing to make it illegal for all ages.
The country of Malawi in southeastern Africa allows children as young as 5 to gamble in land-based casinos.
Also, the Wikipedia article may not be up-to-date, and some of the points listed above could be inconsistent with current laws in the countries named.
Conclusion
The ancient Roman writer Tacitus wrote in his famous treatise, The Germania, that the ancient Germans of his time had a reputation for gambling:
“An amazing thing to us is that they practise gambling as the serious occupation of their sober hours; and they hazard to win or lose so recklessly that, when all he has is gone, a player will stake his personal liberty on a last and decisive throw.
If he loses he goes into voluntary slavery; and, although he may be the younger and the stronger man, he suffers himself to be bound and to be sold. They exhibit herein a most perverse obstinacy, and call it paying a debt of honour.
Successful gamblers get rid of the slaves held under this title by selling them to the merchants in order to escape their share of the shame.”
While some historians question the accuracy of Tacitus’ description, there is some universal truth to the matter. Gambling has earned a hard reputation through the centuries. Some people do lose everything. For that reason society has learned to protect its youngest members (in most countries) from taking such risks until they have grown to an age to make sound decisions.
Life doesn’t promise we’ll always make the right decisions. That’s why we make laws to slow us down when we’re most apt to rush in where angels fear to tread.