NetEnt is one of the best-known casino software providers in the world, and it has been owned by live casino specialist Evolution since 2020. However, NetEnt games are not offered to players in Australia. Australia is a restricted territory for NetEnt, so licensed casinos block NetEnt games for Australian players, and no reputable NetEnt casino accepts them.
If a site offers NetEnt games to players in Australia, the games may be unlicensed copies or the casino may be operating outside the supplier’s terms. Treat it as a warning sign.
Why NetEnt Casinos Don’t Accept Australians
NetEnt has not published a detailed explanation, but the law and the way the industry is regulated make the likely reasons clear.
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001
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. Only licensed providers may offer online sports and race wagering and lotteries. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) enforces the Act and has had hundreds of illegal gambling websites blocked since November 2019.
Supplier licensing obligations
NetEnt and Evolution hold licences from regulators such as the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority. Licensed suppliers are expected to keep their games out of markets where offering them would be illegal, and supplying games to sites that serve Australians could put those licences at risk.
Australia is on the restricted list
Casino operators that publish their game providers’ territory restrictions list Australia as blocked for NetEnt, as well as for its sister brand Red Tiger and for Evolution’s live casino games. As a result, players in Australia can’t load NetEnt games even at casinos that otherwise carry them.
A listed company with a lot to lose
Evolution is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and works with operators in many regulated markets. Being found to supply games into a market where they are illegal could damage its standing with regulators elsewhere, so a blanket restriction on Australia is the safer business decision.
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 or is blocked.
Australians who want to bet online legally can use licensed Australian providers for sports and race wagering and lotteries. For more on how Australian players pay online, see our guide to Australian online casinos with online banking.