How self-exclusion works in Australia
There is no single form that stops all gambling in Australia. The country has a national register for the services it licences, separate schemes in each state and territory for venues, and then whatever tools an individual operator chooses to offer inside its own account area. Each layer works well within its boundary and does nothing outside it.
The gap that surprises people is the online casino one. Because the federal law prohibits the supply of online casino games to people in Australia without a licence, those operators sit offshore, outside every Australian scheme. There is no register they can be added to, which is why the bank-level and device-level blocks further down this page carry more weight here than they would in a licensed market.
| Layer | What it reaches | What it does not reach |
|---|---|---|
| BetStop, the national register | Licensed Australian online and phone wagering services, and their marketing to you | Offshore casino sites, and gaming machines on a venue floor |
| State and territory venue schemes | Pubs, clubs and casinos covered by the scheme you sign up to | Anything online, and venues in another state |
| Operator account tools | Deposits, losses, session length and account closure at that one site | Every other site, including that operator's sister brands |
| Bank and device blocks | The payment method and the browser or phone you set them on | Cash, a second card, and any device you did not set up |
The table, and why the account tools matter on offshore sites
None of the operators below can be added to an Australian register, because none of them holds an Australian licence. What each one publishes in its own terms is therefore the only commitment on record, and the terms toggle under each row is that wording in full.
Bonus terms
Offer placeholder. Bonus amount, wagering, minimum deposit and eligibility are to be confirmed with the operator before publishing. 18+. T&Cs apply. Play responsibly.
Bonus terms
Min. deposit €20 | 125% bonus up to €1,000 + 100 free spins | 40x wagering on bonus & free-spin winnings | Bonus valid 7 days | Free spins credited over 4 days | First deposit only | T&Cs apply.
Bonus terms
18+ | New customers only | Bonus code BLISS | Min. deposit €20 | 120% bonus up to €500 + 125 free spins | 40x wagering within 14 days | T&Cs apply.
- #4
Bonus terms
Min. deposit €20 | 1st dep: 100% up to €500 + 100 FS | 2nd dep: 75% up to €2,000 + 75 FS | 3rd dep: 50% up to €2,000 + 75 FS | 4th dep: 25% up to €3,500 + 50 FS | 5th dep: 50% up to €2,000 + 100 FS | 40x-50x wagering on bonus & FS winnings | Bonus and free spins valid 3 days | Max withdrawal 5x deposit | First 5 deposits only | T&Cs apply.
- #5
Bonus terms
New customers only | Min. deposit €20 | 100% bonus on the first deposit up to €600 + 125 free spins (25 free spins daily over 5 days) | Wager the bonus within 7 days | T&Cs apply | 18+ | Gambling can be addictive.
- #6
Bonus terms
Welcome bonus 280% up to €3,200 + 800 free spins. Bonus winnings are subject to wagering and are capped at €500. The bonus expires after 5 days if the wagering is not met. One bonus per person. 18+. T&Cs apply. Play responsibly.
- #7
Bonus terms
New customers only | Min. deposit €250 | Deposit bonus 100% up to €5,000 + 100 free spins on Collapsed Castle (€0.20 per spin) | Free spins credited in 2 packs of 50 every 24 hours | Bonus wagering x25 (free-spin winnings x25) | Wagering to be met within 14 days | Bonus can be reactivated after 7 days | Bonus is not withdrawable until fully wagered | Bonus T&Cs apply.
- #8
Bonus terms
18+ | New users | Welcome pack across 3 deposits: 100%/80%/60% bonus, up to €2,500 in total + 300 free spins | Min. deposit €20 | 45x wagering | Max bonus bet €5 | Activate within 48 hours, valid 5 days | T&Cs apply | BeGambleAware.org
- #9
Bonus terms
18+ | New customers only | 100% deposit bonus up to €200 | Min. deposit €20 | 40x wagering | Max bet €5 | Bonus valid 10 days | Max withdrawal 10x the bonus amount | T&Cs apply | Gambling can be addictive.
- #10
Bonus terms
18+ | New players | Min. first deposit €20 (CAD/AUD: 15) | Bonus code FIRST | 100% bonus up to €1,000 + 100 free spins | 40x wagering on bonus & free-spin winnings | Max bonus withdrawal equals the bonus amount received | Max bet €5 while wagering | T&Cs apply | BeGambleAware.org
- #11
Bonus terms
Welcome bonus: 100% up to €1,250 on the first deposit (min. €20). The bonus must be wagered 30x with real money and is valid for 14 days. One redemption per player. 18+. T&Cs apply. Play responsibly.
- #12
Bonus terms
18+ | All deposits | Min. deposit €50 | Privilege Wheel: up to €700 bonus or 50 free spins on 3 Royal Coins / Lucky Streak 1000 | 30x wagering | Max withdrawal from free spins €300 | The prize must be activated with a min. €50 deposit | T&Cs apply | BeGambleAware.org
- #13
Bonus terms
Min. deposit €20 | 1st dep: 100% up to €1,000 + 200 FS | 2nd dep: 100% up to €200 + 50 FS | 35x wagering on deposit & bonus | 40x wagering on free-spin winnings | Bonus must be activated within 7 days | Wagering to be met within 10 days | Max withdrawal 6x the bonus amount | First 2 deposits only | T&Cs apply.
- #14
Bonus terms
Welcome package: 100% bonus up to €10,000 + 500 free spins, min. deposit €20. Bonus funds and deposits must be wagered 3x before a withdrawal is possible. Check whether your country is accepted before depositing. Full terms apply. 18+. Play responsibly.
- #15
Bonus terms
18+. New customers only. The casino welcome bonus of 100% up to €500 + 50 free spins applies on a successful first deposit after the bonus code is entered. Before any withdrawal a 5x wagering of the deposit is required, counting only sports bets at minimum odds 1.6 and casino bets without minimal or zero risk. Withdrawal limits and further bonus conditions apply under the general terms. 18+. T&Cs apply. Play responsibly.
BetStop: the national self-exclusion register
BetStop is Australia's national self-exclusion register for licensed interactive wagering services, the online and phone betting operators licensed in this country. You register once, directly, and every operator covered by the scheme is then required to refuse you an account, refuse your bets and stop sending you marketing for as long as the registration runs.
You choose the length when you register, from a fixed minimum period up to a lifetime, and the current options and the identity documents needed are listed on the register's own website. A registration cannot be lifted early: that is the point of it, and it is worth knowing before you pick a duration rather than after.
What the register does not cover is the part that matters on a site like this one. An offshore online casino is not inside the scheme, because it does not hold an Australian licence to be bound by it. Betting on sport with an Australian operator and playing pokies at an offshore casino are, in scheme terms, two unrelated activities, and the federal position on the second one is set out on the page about whether online pokies are legal in Australia.
Venue self-exclusion is run by your state
Gaming machines in pubs, clubs and casinos are regulated by the states and territories, not by the federal Act, and each one runs its own exclusion arrangements. Depending on where you live, a self-exclusion may be arranged through the venue itself, through a central scheme covering many venues in a region, or with the help of a counselling service that lodges it for you.
The practical shape is similar everywhere even though the paperwork differs: you nominate the venues or the area, provide a photograph so staff can identify you, and sign for a set period. Venues are then expected to refuse you entry to the gaming room and to remove you from their loyalty mail. Because the schemes stop at a border, a block taken in one state does nothing in the next one, which is set out per city on the pokies venues hub.
- Start with your state's gambling regulator or a local counselling service. They know which scheme applies to which venues and will lodge the form with you.
- Name every venue you actually visit. A scheme that covers a region is stronger than a single-venue deed, and a venue you leave off is a venue with no block on it.
- Ask what happens if you are found in the gaming room. The consequence differs by scheme and knowing it in advance is part of what makes the block work.
- Cancel the loyalty card at the same time. Points, mailouts and free-play offers are the usual route back in.
What you can set inside an offshore casino account
Most operators publish some version of the same set of tools in the account area. They are useful, they are quick to switch on, and their weakness is structural: the operator maintains them, and there is no Australian regulator to escalate to if one is ignored.
| Deposit limit | A ceiling per day, week or month. The most useful single setting, because it caps the money rather than the behaviour. Increases usually take effect after a delay; decreases are normally immediate. |
|---|---|
| Loss limit or wager limit | Caps what can be lost or staked in a period. Worth setting where offered, because a deposit limit alone does nothing to a balance that is already there. |
| Session reminders and time limits | A clock on screen, or an automatic logout. The point is not the number: it is being told how long you have been playing, which a game will never volunteer. |
| Cooling-off period | A short lockout, usually a set number of days, after which the account reopens by itself. Useful for a bad week, not for a decision you want to stick. |
| Account closure | Ask for permanent closure in writing and keep the reply. Where a self-exclusion option exists in the account area, use that wording rather than simply logging out and hoping. |
One more detail that only applies offshore: sister brands. Operators frequently run several casinos from one platform, and an exclusion at one does not always propagate to the others in the group, so ask for it to be applied across the whole group in writing. How these groups overlap is covered on the sister casinos page.
Bank and device blocks, the layer nobody else controls
This is the layer that does not depend on an operator honouring anything. Most major Australian banks now provide a gambling block on cards in their app or internet banking; the name, the scope and how long it takes to switch off again differ between banks, so check yours rather than assuming. Because the block sits on the payment rail, it applies to offshore sites that no register reaches.
- 01
Turn on the card block in your banking app
Find the gambling or merchant block setting and apply it to every card you hold, including the ones you rarely use. Note how long the bank takes to reverse it: a delay is a feature, not a fault.
- 02
Remove saved payment methods and wallets
Delete stored cards from the operator account and from the browser, and unlink any wallet. Friction at the moment of deposit is the part that changes an outcome.
- 03
Put a blocker on the devices you play on
Gambling-blocking software and the parental or screen-time controls built into a phone both work. Have someone you trust hold the passcode so the setting is not one tap from being undone.
- 04
Close the accounts and register where you can
Ask each operator for permanent closure in writing, sign up to the national register if you also bet with licensed Australian services, and lodge a venue exclusion if you play on a floor.
Where to get help in Australia
Free counselling for gambling is available in every state and territory, by phone, online chat and in person, and it is available to family members as well as to the person gambling. Gambling Help Online is the national service and the state services it connects to run the local counselling; a GP can also refer you and is often the simpler starting point if you would rather not begin with a gambling service at all.
Financial counselling is a separate and free service, and it is the right one for debt that has built up around gambling rather than for the gambling itself. Our own responsible gambling page lists the services and how to reach them.
If what you are after is a clearer picture of the maths rather than a block, three pages on this site do that without any marketing in them: how pokies work explains why a run of losing spins says nothing about the next one, return to player explained puts the house edge in dollars, and pokies volatility explained shows why sessions swing the way they do.
