South Australia Gambling Laws & Regulation

Unlike other states, such as New South Wales or Tasmania, South Australia’s gambling oversight is handled primarily by a single state authority, with specific agencies supporting it.

The Liquor and Gambling Commissioner handles casino operations and pokie machines in pubs and clubs, as well as lotteries and racing betting. This authority works alongside federal organisations that regulate the online market and ensure compliance with federal law across Australia:

• The Liquor and Gambling Commissioner is the primary state official who holds authority over all commercial gambling activities in the state. This took effect in December 2018, after the government abolished the Independent Gambling Authority. The Commissioner sets mandatory codes of practice, issues licenses to operators that meet the criteria, audits venues and ensures player protection principles across every location that offers any type of gambling.
• Functioning as a division within the South Australian Department of the Attorney-General, the Consumer and Business Services (CBS) serves as the Commissioner’s main collaborator, handling day-to-day operations. You may see this as the main licence issues when searching Australian gambling laws online, and this is actually true, since the CBS handles licence applications, manages the Gaming Machine Entitlement system (GME), conducts venue inspections and controls everything on-site.
• Licence appeals issued by the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner, as well as reviewing general regulatory decisions and disciplinary measures, are the responsibility of the Licensing Court of South Australia.
• The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) operates nationally and focuses on online gambling and betting, including in South Australia. The ACMA makes sure that operators comply with the law by not offering online casino games to Aussies and also blocks offshore websites that target Australian players.

South Australia has passed several major laws that govern gambling forms in the state. There are several acts that are specific to select sectors, such as brick-and-mortar casinos, pokies, or sports betting, but they are all tied together by the very basic underlying principles – harm minimisation and player protection – always enforced by the CBS.

The following are the primary Acts that regulate gambling types in South Australia.

This is the current primary legislation governing almost everything gambling-related in South Australia. The Gambling Administration Act came into force in 2020 and is an update of the older 1995 Act.

Its purpose is to consolidate gambling regulation, reinforce the power of the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner, and strengthen player protection standards, such as controlling how and where gambling is advertised, establishing a statewide barring system, and blocking gambling access for individuals.

The law that controls every spin you make at the pokie machine (or electronic gaming machines, EGMs, as referred to in official documentation) in your local pub or club is the Gaming Machines Act 1992.

In this long document, all rules related to poker machines are laid out in detail: it strictly caps the number of poker machines that a hotel or a community club can host to 40. It also covers standards for cash acceptance, payout rules, and the government trading system venues use to buy or sell machine rights.

For instance, poker machines governed by the Gaming Machines Act 1992 have a maximum bet of A$5 and a minimum RTP of 87.5%.

This law specifies the operational rules of land-based casinos in South Australia, particularly SkyCity Adelaide, as the only licensed land-based casino in the state.

This law sets strict operational standards for table games like blackjack and roulette, as well as VIP rooms and venue security. It also sets strict guidelines for staff training and risk-monitoring systems.

The ground rules for controlled sports betting in South Australia are laid out in the Authorised Betting Operations Act 2000. Basically, every bet you place at a TAB outlet or whenever you back a horse at the racetrack or via an online sportsbook is governed and regulated by this Betting Act.

It also lays out rules on underage betting, credit betting, and transparent bookmaker operation across the state.

Note that as of 1 June 2024, licensed online betting operators have been prohibited from accepting credit cards, credit-linked digital wallets, and digital currencies as top-up methods from Aussies.

Major jackpot draws like X Lotto and Powerball, as well as scratchies and charity raffles, are covered in the Lotteries Act 2019 and the State Lotteries Act 1966.

Official state lotteries are governed by the Act from 1966, while the Act from 2019 primarily deals with other authorised lotteries, like trade-promotion lotteries and fundraising.

Under these legal documents, the state has ensured that games and draws are random, prize pools are untampered with, and winning tickets are paid out as they should.

The documents also set strict licensing rules for news agencies and authorised outlets selling lottery tickets across South Australia.

South Australia has legalised many gambling forms for its residents, including both land-based and online activities.

Under the state’s regulatory framework overseen by Consumer and Business Services (CBS), as long as operators are licensed and adhere to responsible gambling standards, they can offer the following gambling forms to residents of SA:

• Land-based casino gaming, exclusively at licensed casinos such as SkyCity Adelaide. This casino is allowed to host classic table games such as blackjack, baccarat, poker and roulette, as well as RNG table games and EGMs.
• Poker machines are permitted in licensed hotels, pubs and community clubs in South Australia, as well as in SkyCity Adelaide. Every venue that wants to host a poker machine needs to hold an individual Gaming Machine Entitlement (GME), and the maximum number of pokie machines they can host is strictly limited to 40, except in SkyCity Adelaide, where different limits apply.
• Sports and racing betting is legally allowed via licensed bookmakers, physical TAB outlets, self-service betting counters in pubs and clubs and also on-course bookies. Online betting is also possible via licensed online sportsbooks.
• Lotteries, like the famous national Powerball, X Lotto and Oz Lotto, as well as instant scratch-its, are legal only when sold through authorised newsagents and official online sites operated by SA lotteries or Tatts.
• Keno is widely available and legal to play in South Australia via dedicated counters placed in hotels, pubs or community clubs, as well as TAB outlets.

Larger Australian states allow legal operation of multiple brick-and-mortar casinos across their territories, but that’s not the case with South Australia. Currently, there is only one casino where you can enter to join a roulette session, spin a poker machine or join a poker table, and that’s SkyCity Adelaide.

The casino is located on North Terrace in Adelaide and operates under an exclusive state license governed by the Casino Act 1997. The primary regulator enforcing this Act, setting the Gambling Code of Practice, and conducting on-site compliance checks is the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner, together with the Consumer and Business Services (CBS).

SkyCity Adelaide is obliged to constantly comply with many strict rules and standards to continue operating. For example, for anti-money laundering purposes, players are limited to an A$5,000 combined daily cash cap for all games present in the casino.

Also, nobody can stay in a gaming area more than 12 hours in 24 hours, and this is monitored by professional staff trained to recognise signs of distress and stop self-excluded players from accessing the venue.

EGMs, also known as pokies among gamblers, are commonly found across local hotels, pubs, and community clubs in South Australia, but also at the casino in Adelaide.

These machines are heavily regulated and managed under the Gaming Machines Act 1992. Overseen by the CBS, South Australian law enforces strict venue caps, controls on machine mechanics and tracking requirements.

If an operator wants to host a pokie machine in SA, they must first hold a venue license, but also individual Gaming Machine Entitlements (GMEs) for every machine at their location. As I mentioned earlier, this number cannot exceed 40.

Also, entitlements (GMEs) are strictly capped across the state, with the goal of preventing unauthorised expansion of poker machines. Additionally, venues with 30 or more machines, and at least one machine that is fitted with a banknote acceptor, must install mandatory facial recognition systems that detect and prevent self-excluded gamblers from accessing the machines.

The state also applies very strict operational rules regarding pokie machines. For example, pokies that accept banknotes can accept A$5, A$10, A$20, and A$50, while A$100 is strictly prohibited. Furthermore, a machine will automatically refuse banknotes if the current balance is A$100 or higher.

Sports and horse-race betting are legal in South Australia and remain a popular form of gambling in Adelaide. Like other gambling activities, betting is subject to strict rules designed to protect punters and ensure operators provide fair odds and reliable payouts.

There are plenty of betting options available, from footy and other sports to thoroughbred and greyhound racing. If you want to play a sports bet in SA, these are your options:

• TABs, pubs and clubs offer legal land-based betting across SA, possible via TAB outlets, self-service terminals, and betting counters located inside community clubs and specific pubs.
• On-course bookmakers are present at race meetings such as Morphettville and Murray Bridge, and through them, you can legally bet on thoroughbred, harness and greyhound races.
• Betting via online sportsbooks and betting apps is becoming the most convenient option for many SA punters. You can use websites and mobile apps operated by Australian-licensed bookmakers, including Ladbrokes and PointsBet, to place bets from your phone or computer.

In-play sports betting is illegal according to the IGA 2001. Online sportsbooks cannot offer live odds for bettors to place live bets. This is only done via a telephone call, where Australian punters are allowed to call and speak to a support agent who places the bet in their stead.

The CBS is responsible for ensuring that venues offering any form of gambling in South Australia comply with strict player protection (also known as harm minimisation) rules.

First and foremost, no one under 18 can be allowed to enter gaming areas at all, let alone play pokies or bet on sports. Physical venues verify age by requesting IDs, while online sportsbooks and apps must perform KYC checks on everyone who tries to register.

Moreover, at SkyCity Adelaide, specific employees must complete Responsible Conduct of Gambling training, which teaches them how to recognise problematic behaviour and intervene when necessary.

As a reminder, pokie machines cannot accept A$100 banknotes, and pubs and clubs are limited to a maximum of 40 poker machines, all part of South Australia’s responsible gambling framework.

In the event of experiencing a breach of rules at any hotel, pub, club or location that offers any type of gambling, it’s strongly recommended to report it to relevant authorities in SA.

If it’s a minor dispute, try solving it with the venue management team, but if a legal non-compliance is in question, you can file a formal complaint to the Consumer and Business Services (CBS).

This can be done via email at liquorandgaming@sa.gov.au or via the landline 131 882. CBS inspectors have the authority to audit venues and penalise the operator if a real breach of rules is established.

Additionally, if you come across gambling activity that appears to be illegal, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is the authority to contact.

This includes reporting illegal offshore gambling sites, bookmakers offering prohibited in-play betting, Australian casinos offering online pokies, and operators that fail to comply with BetStop requirements.

BetStop is Australia’s national self-exclusion register for people who want to exclude themselves from all licensed online and telephone operators, and be unable to create new accounts or access existing ones.