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Law guide · Act checked 18 Oct 2026

What changes for offshore casinos in 2027

Short answer: the Gambling Reform Act 2026 became law on 26 Aug 2026 and most of it starts on 1 Jan 2027. Banks, payment providers, internet providers, app stores and search engines must then take reasonable steps to stop illegal gambling services using them.

Payments and banks

Short answer

The Gambling Reform Act 2026 doesn’t create a new ban on offshore casinos. It makes more companies help enforce the existing one. Offering online casino games to people in Australia was already illegal under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. From 1 Jan 2027, banks, payment providers, internet providers, app stores and search engines get their own legal duties to stop illegal gambling services using them.

Royal Reels holds no Australian licence and has been blocked here since July 2023 (see the licence facts), so for Royal Reels in 2027 the likely result is that payments and access get harder for people in Australia (our reading).

We read the Act itself on legislation.gov.au on 18 Oct 2026. Labels on this page:

  • Verified: we read it in the text of the Act.
  • Reported: it comes from the government’s May 2026 exposure draft or from secondary summaries, and we could not find it in the parts of the final Act we were able to read. Check the Act on legislation.gov.au before relying on it.

This page explains the law in plain words. It is not legal advice.

Timeline: from draft bill to 1 January 2027

DateWhat happenedSourceLabel
May 2026The government published an exposure draft of the bill.Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the ArtsVerified
2 Jul 2026The bill was introduced to Parliament.Digital Policy Alert (secondary tracker)Reported
19 Aug 2026Parliament passed the bill.Digital Policy AlertReported
26 Aug 2026Royal Assent. The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026 became Act No. 72 of 2026. Sections 1 to 4 started that day.The Act, s 2Verified
27 Aug 2026Schedule 5 (application, saving and transitional provisions) started.The Act, s 2Verified
1 Jan 2027All other schedules start, including the new duties for banks, payment providers, internet providers, app stores and search engines.The Act, s 2Verified

What is in the Act

ScheduleHeading in the ActLabel
1Restrictions on wagering advertisingVerified
2Disruption of illegal gambling services. Part 1: Blocking financial transactions. Part 2: Illegal gambling advertising. Part 3: Preventing the use of infrastructure etc. for illegal gambling. Part 4: Enforcement powers.Verified
3BetStopVerified
4, 4A and 4BOnline lottery products; Inducements; Wagering Advertising Opt-out RegisterVerified
4CStatutory review of certain PartsVerified
5Application, saving and transitional provisionsVerified

Schedule 2 targets illegal services such as offshore casinos, so the rest of this page focuses on it; the other schedules are listed by heading only.

Gambling payment blocking in Australia: section 15J

From 1 Jan 2027, banks and other payment providers must stop payments from Australian accounts to illegal gambling services, as far as they reasonably can. Of all the changes, this is the one people using offshore casinos are most likely to notice (our reading).

What the Act says (verified, Schedule 2, Part 1):

  • Who must act: authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs, such as banks) and participants in a payment system under the Payment Systems (Regulation) Act 1998. The Minister can exempt people or classes of people.
  • What they must do: prevent, “so far as it is reasonably practicable to do so”, a payment or transfer of funds for, or in connection with, a “designated interactive gambling service”, where the money goes from an account held in Australia to the provider, a person associated with it, a related company or anyone acting on its behalf.
  • Crypto is included. Section 15H says funds include money and “digital units of value, including digital currency”.
  • Penalty: a civil penalty of up to 1,000 penalty units.

In plain words (our reading): a designated interactive gambling service is the Act’s term for the illegal services this schedule targets, and online casinos offered to Australians are among them. The section is about money going from Australian accounts to these services. We found nothing in it about money coming back, so we can’t say how withdrawals will be affected.

For what this means for deposits today, see banks, blocks and declined payments.

Internet providers, app stores and search engines: section 15AB

The same schedule gives four kinds of internet companies a duty of their own. From 1 Jan 2027 each must prevent, so far as reasonably practicable, its infrastructure, facilities and services being used in connection with providing, or reaching, an illegal gambling service with an Australian-customer link (verified, Schedule 2, Part 3).

Provider typeCovered by s 15ABWhat it could mean for users (our reading)
Internet service providersYesBlocking becomes a legal duty, not only a response to ACMA’s requests.
Domain name system providersYesMore companies in the chain share the duty.
App distribution services (app stores)YesIllegal gambling apps should not be offered to Australians.
Internet search engine servicesYesSearch results should not lead Australians to these services.

The civil penalty is up to 1,000 penalty units, and the Minister can exempt people or classes of people.

Until now, ACMA has asked internet providers to block sites under s 313 of the Telecommunications Act 1997. It has blocked 1,751 illegal gambling and affiliate websites since November 2019 (ACMA, June 2026), including 187 in Apr–Jun 2026 alone. Royal Reels addresses have been on those lists since July 2023; see how the ACMA block works.

ACMA’s new powers in 2027: notices and penalties

Some of the enforcement detail is confirmed in the Act; some is only reported.

MeasureWhat we foundSourceLabel
Enforcement powersSchedule 2 has a Part 4 headed Enforcement powers. We could not read its text.The ActVerified
Higher penalties for illegal gambling adsPenalties in two existing ad-ban sections (ss 61DA and 61EA) rise from 180 to 1,000 penalty units. A new s 61EA(4) carries a civil penalty of up to 5,000 penalty units for publishing an illegal gambling ad in Australia in the cases it sets out.The ActVerified
24-hour removal noticesACMA could order illegal gambling ads to be taken down within 24 hours.May 2026 exposure draft; secondary summariesReported
Link deletion noticesACMA could tell search engines to delete links to illegal gambling services.May 2026 exposure draft; secondary summariesReported
App removal noticesACMA could tell app stores to remove illegal gambling apps.May 2026 exposure draftReported
Ads seen in AustraliaAn ad would count as published in Australia if an Australian user can access it.May 2026 exposure draftReported

What 2027 could mean for people using Royal Reels

This is our reading of the Act, not a forecast from ACMA or the casino. The new duties add to the block that has applied since July 2023.

What you might noticeWhyBasis
Card, bank and other payments to the casino fail more oftenBanks and payment providers must prevent payments from Australian accounts to illegal gambling services, including payments in digital currency.Duty verified (s 15J); effect is our reading
Fewer search results for the brandSearch engine services have a duty under s 15AB. Link deletion notices are reported.Duty verified; notices reported
Apps or app listings removedApp distribution services have a duty under s 15AB. App removal notices are reported.Duty verified; notices reported
More addresses unreachable in AustraliaInternet and domain name system providers have their own duty, on top of ACMA’s quarterly block requests.Duty verified; effect is our reading
More messages offering a new linkWhen access gets harder, lookalike sites can take advantage.Our reading

Be careful with any address someone sends you; how lookalike sites catch people out explains the warning signs. If you are offered an app file, read whether there is a Royal Reels app first.

Money already in an account. The parts of the Act we read say nothing about balances held with offshore casinos. When ACMA blocked more sites in March 2021, it urged their users to withdraw their money straight away, and it warns that Australians who use illegal gambling services risk losing their money.

We never suggest ways around payment or website blocks, now or after 2027.

What does not change

  • Help is still free, 24/7. Gambling Help Online: 1800 858 858, or chat online. Lifeline for crisis support: 13 11 14.
  • You can block gambling payments yourself now. Opt-in gambling blocks at ANZ, Bank of Melbourne, Commonwealth Bank, NAB, St George and Westpac don’t depend on the new law. See closing an account and blocking gambling.
  • Reporting routes stay the same. Report illegal gambling sites to ACMA on 1300 850 115. Report fees to unlock winnings, or fake casinos, to Scamwatch.
  • BetStop, for now. The national self-exclusion register, launched on 21 Aug 2023, covers licensed Australian wagering providers; offshore casinos are outside it (our inference). Schedule 3 of the Act is headed BetStop, but we could not read its text, so we can’t say what it changes.
  • The legal status of online casinos. Offering them to people in Australia was illegal before the Act and is still illegal.

Context: scambling, and when we update this page

The new law arrives while fake casinos are on the rise. The National Anti-Scam Centre runs a taskforce on scambling from 8 Jul to 9 Dec 2026. It says Scamwatch reports rose from 677 in 2024 to 806 in 2025, and losses from about $449,000 to $1.6 million. Common tactics: repeated small payments to several PayIDs, and withdrawals blocked until more is paid (NASC, 8 Jul 2026). Scamwatch’s advice: never pay a fee to unlock winnings.

These figures are about fake casinos in general, not about Royal Reels.

When we will update this page: when the provisions start on 1 Jan 2027, when ACMA publishes guidance on the new duties, and when we can read the rest of the Act’s text. Each update gets a new date at the bottom of the page.

Gambling Reform Act 2026: common questions

  • When does the Gambling Reform Act 2026 start?

    It received Royal Assent on 26 Aug 2026. Under s 2, sections 1 to 4 started that day, Schedule 5 started the next day, and every other schedule, including the new payment and internet duties, starts on 1 Jan 2027.

  • What is the Interactive Gambling Amendment 2026?

    It is a short way of referring to the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026, Act No. 72 of 2026. It amends the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 and related laws, with schedules on wagering ads, BetStop, online lottery products and illegal gambling services.

  • Will my bank block payments to offshore casinos?

    From 1 Jan 2027, banks and payment system participants must prevent, so far as reasonably practicable, payments from Australian accounts to providers of illegal gambling services. How each bank does this is up to it, and we have not seen guidance yet. You can ask your bank for a gambling block today.

  • Does the payment block cover crypto?

    The Act says funds include “digital units of value, including digital currency”. The duty applies to banks and payment system participants. We have not seen guidance on how it will work for crypto in practice.

  • Is there an offshore casino ban in Australia in 2027?

    Not a new one. Offering online casino games to people in Australia was already illegal under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. What starts on 1 Jan 2027 are duties for payment, internet, app store and search companies to help stop these services.

  • Will Royal Reels disappear in 2027?

    We can’t predict that. The new duties fall on payment, internet, app and search companies serving Australians, not on a casino run from overseas. Reaching and paying it from Australia is likely to get harder (our reading).

  • Does the Act change BetStop?

    It has a schedule headed BetStop, but we could not read its text, so we can’t say what changes. Today BetStop covers licensed Australian wagering providers, and offshore casinos are outside it (our inference). Registering is free at betstop.gov.au.

Sources

We read the Act on legislation.gov.au on 18 Oct 2026: the assent date, the commencement table, the schedule headings and sections 15H, 15J, 15AB and 61EA(4). Items marked reported come from the exposure draft or secondary summaries.

Need help now? Gambling Help Online: 1800 858 858 (free, 24/7), gamblinghelponline.org.au. To stop yourself betting with licensed Australian wagering providers, register with BetStop. To report an illegal gambling site, contact ACMA on 1300 850 115. 18+ only.

Facts checked 16 Oct 2026 by the Casino Status Map team. Page updated 18 Oct 2026.

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Casino Status Map is a team of enthusiasts who help people check whether online services are up, reachable and safe to rely on. We built Royal Reels Status to answer one question quickly: is it down, or is it blocked? We are not affiliated with or paid by Royal Reels, and we never link to it or its mirror sites. Corrections are welcome through our contact page.