Neteller and Australian Online Casinos

Neteller is an e-wallet run by Paysafe Financial Services Limited, a UK company authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. It was once one of the most common ways for Australians to pay at online casinos, but Australian players can no longer legitimately use Neteller to deposit at or withdraw from online casinos. Australians can still open a Neteller account and use it for other payments, as Australia remains one of the countries Neteller serves, but online casino payments are effectively off the table.

If a casino still offers Neteller to players in Australia, treat it as a warning sign: the site is operating outside Australian law and outside Neteller’s own terms of use.

Why Neteller Can’t Be Used at Online Casinos in Australia

Neteller has not published a single statement explaining its position on Australian casino payments, but several rules and likely business reasons all point the same way.

Online casinos are illegal to offer in Australia

Under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, it is illegal for any company, whether based in Australia or overseas, to offer online casino games such as pokies, blackjack and roulette to people in Australia. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) enforces the Act and has had hundreds of illegal gambling websites blocked since November 2019. Any online casino that accepts Australian players is therefore an illegal service under Australian law.

Neteller’s terms ban payments for illegal gambling

Neteller’s terms of use prohibit using an account for illegal gambling services, including casino games and poker, and allow Neteller to suspend accounts it believes are linked to such transactions. Because online casinos cannot legally serve Australians, payments between an Australian player and an online casino fall within that ban.

Restrictions on funding gambling with Australian cards

Neteller’s help centre states that credit cards issued in Australia cannot be used for gambling transactions anywhere in the world. Since 11 June 2024, Australian law has also banned licensed online wagering providers from accepting credit cards, payments linked to credit cards (including through digital wallets) and digital currency, as explained in ACMA’s guide to the credit ban.

Licensed casinos block Australian players

Reputable online casinos that offer Neteller hold licences in places such as the UK and Malta, and they block players from Australia so they don’t breach the Interactive Gambling Act or their own licence conditions. Major game studios also keep their games out of Australia; for example, NetEnt casinos don’t accept Australian players.

Risk for a regulated payments company

Paysafe, Neteller’s parent company, is a publicly listed and regulated payments business with strict anti-money-laundering obligations. Processing payments for operators that are breaking Australian law would be a legal and reputational risk, which is a likely reason it keeps Australian casino payments off its network.

What This Means for Australian Players

The Interactive Gambling Act targets the businesses that offer online casino services, not the people who use them. It is not an offence for Australians to play at an offshore online casino, and no player has ever been prosecuted for doing so. However, players at offshore sites have none of the protections that come with licensed Australian providers, such as the national self-exclusion register BetStop and local complaint processes, and may find it hard to recover their money if a site refuses to pay out, is blocked, or loses its payment processing.

Australians who want to bet online legally can use licensed Australian providers for sports and race wagering and lotteries. These providers accept debit cards and bank transfers, but not credit cards or digital currency. For more on the payment methods Australian players use, see our guide to Australian online casinos with online banking, and for how Neteller works in other countries, see our online casinos accepting Neteller guide.