Tasmania Gambling Laws & Regulation

The state of Tasmania has assigned gambling regulation to several entities, such as regulatory bodies, administrative departments, and the federal regulator (ACMA), whose rules apply across Australia. These are:

• Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission (TLGC): The TLGC is the main independent regulator responsible for regulating land-based gambling across Tasmania. Under the Gaming Control Act 1993, TLGC issues licences for brick-and-mortar casinos, sets general gaming rules, regulates the legal status of venue pokies and lotteries, and controls racetrack and sports betting. Another of its main goals is to implement and ensure that the responsible Code of Practice is respected, which ensures game integrity and focuses on player protection.
• Liquor and Gaming Branch: This branch, operating within the Department of Treasury and Finance, serves as the right hand of TLGC. The Liquor and Gaming Branch handles the logistics side of matters: processes license applications, deals with daily venue operations, collects gambling tax, and organises unannounced venue inspections and audits to ensure compliance with the law.
• Tasracing & Office of Racing Integrity (ORI): The ORI and Tasracing jointly manage and oversee racetrack betting and general racing venues’ law-abiding practices. These bodies are responsible for operational regulations like drug testing and compliance across all three racing types in Tasmania: thoroughbred, harness, and greyhound racing.
• Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA): The ACMA functions on a national level, and its primary responsibility is implementing the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA), which officially defines the legal status of online gambling in Australia. The IGA allows online betting via locally licensed bookmakers but forbids offering online casino games to Aussies, which is why they also block illegal offshore casino sites.

All state regulators and administrative bodies in Australia follow a detailed legal framework consisting of statutes and federal legislation.

The following laws define the legality of gambling forms in the state, determine licensing conditions, establish responsible gambling practices (labelled as harm-minimisation standards in official documents), and outline the responsibilities of each regulator.

This Act is the main legal document that sets the foundation for all land-based gambling activities in Tasmania. The authority of the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission (TLGC) was also established when this Act came into power.

The law sets all rules you, as a gambler from Tasmania, should know about, including rules for venue licenses that offer casino table games, electronic gaming machines (pokies or EGMs), lotteries and keno, sports betting, but also minor gaming forms like raffles and bingo.

Player protection measures such as the Code of Practice and the Tasmanian Gambling Exclusion Scheme are also laid out in this Act, with the purpose of protecting users who experience gambling issues.

This is the major reform bill regarding gambling regulations in Tasmania in decades, and it mostly concerned the status of electronic gaming machines, known as pokies among Aussie gamblers. It took effect on 1 July, 2022.

Namely, the legislation formally ended the decades-long private monopoly over EGMs in the state, held by the Federal Group. Now, a more individual approach is established; venues are licensed as standalone hosts of pokie machines, which allows pubs and clubs to manage pokie authorisations on their own. The amendment also introduced stricter responsible gambling rules, such as lower bet limits and higher taxes on venue revenues.

This Act, taking effect in 2024, was a modernised update of the Racing Regulation Act 2004, and both govern wagering on horses, harness, and greyhound racing.

Under this legislation, the Tasmanian Racing Integrity Commissioner (TasRIC) is responsible for overseeing general conduct on the racetrack, as well as drug testing, animal well-being, and bookmakers’ and totalizators’ activities happening on the racetracks.

Naturally, Tasmania operates ferries that connect the Australian mainland to the island, so there is also the TT-Line Gaming Act that exclusively deals with gaming activities happening on board the ferries.

Under this Act, when sailing on one of the Spirit of Tasmania vessels, passengers are allowed to spin poker machines which are legally hosted by ships that are in transit, outside coastal boundaries.

What type of gambling is legal or not in Tasmania, and who and how regulates it, is all laid out in the main Gaming Control Act 1993, and also the recent amendment.

Tasmania legally allows many gambling forms to take place on state territory, so whether you are visiting a brick-and-mortar casino to play table games or placing a bet online via an Australian bookmaker, know that everything is supervised and governed by a corresponding law.

The following gambling forms are approved and legal for players residing in Tasmania.

• Licensed land-based casinos, such as Wrest Point and Country Club Tasmania. These venues are allowed to offer pokie machines as well as live table games, like roulette, baccarat, poker, blackjack and some wheels.
• EGMs, poker machines, or pokies are also allowed to be offered at both land-based casinos in Tasmania, as well as in hotels, pubs and community clubs that hold official licenses.
• Sports and race betting is legal in Tasmania if it’s done by physical TABs, betting terminals in pubs and clubs, or registered on-course bookies.
• Online betting is also legal in Tasmania only via licensed Australian online sportsbooks or bookmaker apps.
• Lotteries and scratch cards are fully government-controlled and organised on a national level, such as the Powerball or Oz Lotto. These should be sold through authorised kiosks and newsagents, or also possible via online platforms.
• On-board gaming on poker machines on Spirit of Tasmania ships is legal and governed specifically by the TT-Line Gaming Act.

There are two brick-and-mortar casinos in Tasmania, and both operate under the constant supervision of the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission (TLGC). The casinos have exclusive government-issued licenses and are operated by the Federal Group, owned by the Farrell family, Tasmania’s largest private employer and dominant tourism and gaming operator.

• Wrest Point Hotel Casino is Tasmania’s oldest and first legally operating casino, established in 1973. Visitors have access to table games like blackjack, roulette, and poker, as well as pokie machines, dedicated poker rooms, and TAB self-service betting terminals inside the casino venue.
• Country Club Tasmania opened in 1982, and it’s a resort-like casino that welcomes northern Tasmanian residents. It also offers many live dealer table games like blackjack, baccarat, and roulette, and also hosts poker machines and sports betting possibilities.

Both the TLGC and the Liquor and Gaming Branch within the Department of Treasury and Finance are responsible for constant oversight of the casinos’ operation. This includes conducting regular venue audits, complying with the state’s Code of Practice, and ensuring that the casino’s staff is professionally certified and properly trained to spot gambling trouble signs.

Poker machines in Tasmania are heavily regulated and primarily governed by the Gaming Control Act 1993 and its major amendment taking effect in 2022.

A short history lesson: for decades, Tasmania allowed a single operator, the Federal Group, to hold exclusive rights to own, monitor, and supply all EGMs found at pubs, clubs, and brick-and-mortar casinos.

This monopoly model lasted for nearly 50 years, from 1973 to 2022, and changed with the Gaming Control Amendment, under which the state transitioned to an individual operator model.

Today, pubs and clubs are the owners or leasees of pokie machines rather than renting them from a single operator. Venues must hold a Venue License issued by the TLGC to offer pokie machines legally, and also an individual EGM Authority endorsed on their license, for every machine on their floor.

Every pub or community club that hosts poker machines must adhere to strict rules, including no alcohol service to users while playing at an EGM, implementing self-exclusion, and rules for ATMs and on-site payouts.

Sports betting is legal in Australia, and that’s also the case in Tasmania. Both sports betting and racing betting are regulated under state and federal legislation: the Gaming Control Act 1993, the Racing Regulation and Integrity Act 2024, and the IGA, the last of which is the federal law legalising online betting.

If you are a punter residing in Tasmania, there are many options through which you can place a bet on the footy or your preferred greyhound.

• On-location bets can be placed via TABs or betting terminals found at licensed hotels, sports clubs, and even the land-based casinos operating in the state.
• On-course betting is allowed via licensed individual bookies that are present at Tasmanian racetracks during official races, which are overseen by the Tasracing integrity unit.
• Licensed online sportsbooks and betting apps are legally allowed to accept online bets by Aussies who prefer betting online. Such Australian-licensed bookmakers are Sportsbet, Ladbrokes, and PointsBet, among others. Keep in mind that in-play online betting is strictly forbidden under the IGA 2001.

When it comes to the types of bets and sports events you can bet on, bettors have almost full access. Permitted markets include Tasmanian tracks like Elwick and Devonport, domestic Aussie sports like AFL, NRL, cricket and basketball, as well as international sports leagues like EPL, NBA, and NFL, among others.

All gambling operators in Tasmania, without exception, must follow strict responsible gambling rules enforced by the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission.

First off, there is no tolerance when it comes to underage gaming. Anyone who wants to participate in gambling activities must be at least 18 years old, and staff are required to ensure this by checking IDs. At the same time, online sportsbooks need to verify your identity details before letting you bet.

Operators also use smart technology to keep self-excluded players out. Through the Tasmanian Gambling Exclusion Scheme, anyone can ban themselves from locations where gambling is happening.

Venues use mandatory facial recognition cameras to spot excluded players the moment they walk in. If you bet online, BetStop lets you self-exclude from every licensed Australian betting app in one step.

Venues also have their own built-in limits. For example, machines only take up to A$100 in a given time, cash withdrawals are capped, and pubs and clubs must turn off pokies for seven hours every day.

If you run into problems with a gambling operator, you have the right to file a formal complaint. The authority you need to contact depends on whether the issue involves a land-based venue or an online gambling service.

For complaints about physical gambling venues in Tasmania, including pubs, registered clubs, TAB outlets, or casinos like Wrest Point and Country Club, the appropriate regulator is the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission (TLGC).

You can download the complaint form through the official website of the Department of Treasury and Finance, fill it in and then send it to lagb.compliance@treasury.tas.gov.au, or also send it physically to Liquor and Gaming Branch, GPO Box 1374, Hobart TAS 7001.

However, if your complaint relates to an online bookmaker or illegal gambling website, you should contact the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) instead. The ACMA accepts complaints online and investigates matters such as unlicensed offshore gambling sites, bookmakers offering prohibited in-play betting, and Australian casinos illegally providing online pokies.