Many players often ask whether online casinos in Australia are legal. Well, at the moment, the answer is no. AU doesnât license or permit sites that offer real-money games like online pokies, roulette, blackjack, and poker.
However, thereâs an alternative with sweepstakes casinos, which are not real-money gaming platforms. Instead, sweepstakes casinos are free-to-play sites that support virtual currencies and prize redemption if you meet the requirements. As you read on, weâll explain more about the platforms, how they work, and their offerings. Youâll also discover our top AU sweepstakes casino: Roo Vegas.
As we answered in the introduction, traditional real-money online casinos in Australia are not legally available. The law doesn’t allow them under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. On the bright side, you can register and play at sweepstakes casinos.
Sweepstakes casinos are different because they donât involve using actual money. They support virtual currencies instead, which you primarily receive for free. Based on our tests, Roo Vegas is the best sweepstakes casino available to Australian players.
Roo Vegas sweepstakes casino supports two virtual currencies, including Roo Coins (RC) and Spin Coins (SC). You can use both to play casino-style games on the site, but thereâs a major difference in how they work.
Roo Coins are only for entertainment purposes and nothing more. Meanwhile, if you play with Spin Coins, you can receive Spin Cash from your sessions. Your Spin Cash is then redeemable for real prizes. The platform features a wide range of games, easy prize redemption processes, and reliable customer service.
Since there are no best legal online casinos in Australia that use real money, you can join Roo Vegas instead if you’re in an eligible state. As a new player, you can start gaming with their welcome bonus worth 500,000 Roo Coins and 10 Spin Coins.
Letâs go over the possible features to expect from sweepstakes casinos for AU players:
On sweepstakes gaming sites, you can play several types of online pokies. The main variants we found at Roo Vegas are classic, Hold & Win, and Megaways titles. However, if you browse the collection, you can spot slots with other engaging mechanics.
During our Roo Vegas review, we tried a good number of pokies on the site. Based on our sessions, these are some top picks to play:
| Type | Top pokies |
|---|---|
| Classic and fruits | Amped Up! Fruit Mojo |
| Megaways | Olympus Trueways Lady Wolf Moon Megaways |
| Hold & Win | Golden End Zone: Hold & Win Tigers Luck: Hold & Win |
You can play these Roo Vegas pokies and others on the go using your smartphone. Although the platform doesnât feature an app, itâs still one of the best sweepstakes mobile online casinos in Australia, thanks to its seamless mobile compatibility. For faster access to its games and features, add the websiteâs icon to your homescreen.
As free-to-play sites, sweepstakes brands like Roo Vegas give out a decent number of Gold Coins (Roo Coins) and Sweepstakes Coins (Spin Coins). You can grab the available free welcome offer in your state when you register.
Also, after signing up, Roo Vegas offers an extra 200% pack if you purchase an RC package. When we checked the package, we saw 1.5 million Roo Coins (+ 30 free Spin Coins) for $9.99. Itâs 66% less than the normal price. That said, note that itâs entirely optional to buy an RC package at Roo Vegas.
The Roowards Club is Roo Vegasâ loyalty program, which is open to all players. You can join it within your first 7 to 30 days, based on your activities on the sweepstakes casino. From our checks, the brand keeps the exact entry requirements private.
Nevertheless, we know that the Roowards Club has the following seven levels:
While your activities will help you automatically progress from Level 1 to 6, entering Level 7 is by invitation only. As you move up the tiers, Roo Vegas will give you daily, weekly, and monthly rewards. This loyalty system is identical to what youâll find at other sweepstakes casinos.
If you decide to purchase a GC package, you can use secure payment methods. In our experience, the exact options will depend on your location in Australia. However, you can expect Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
In the Roo Coin Shop, we saw packages starting from just A$0.99 and reaching A$9,999.99. Therefore, the platform supports a wide range of prices, making it easy to select an amount you prefer. Donât forget that purchasing RC bundles is optional.
Though you wonât find the fastest payout online casinos in Australia, you can redeem real prizes at Roo Vegas. However, you have to meet three primary requirements, which weâve detailed below:
From our observations, prize redemption on Roo Vegas takes up to three business days, depending on your bank.
Sweepstakes casinos keep your information safe using SSL technology. The platform encrypts your data such that no third party can access it without authorisation.
However, the safety features that impress us the most are the social responsible gameplay tools. Via your profile settings, you can apply daily, weekly, or monthly purchase limits for optional GC packages. You can also take a time break of 1-7 days or self-exclude by messaging customer service.
At the best sweepstakes casinos, you can access help 24/7 via live chat. The chat might feature a helpful bot, but you can request to speak with a real person whenever you want. In our review of Roo Vegas, we received replies within a few minutes most of the time.
Roo Vegas offers email support as well, with responses arriving within six hours on average. If you want to source answers on your own, you can use the help centre, which is built into the live chat.
Weâve clarified that there are no new online casinos in Australia where you can legally play with real money. As a result, Roo Vegas sweepstakes casino is our best alternative to consider. If you want to sign up with Roo Vegas, hereâs what to do:
When done, youâll get free Roo Coins and Spin Coins to start playing online pokies.
After analysing the online casino situation in AU, these are the pros and cons we noted:
What online casinos are legal in Australia? If youâve read this guide up to this point, you should know the answer. To recap, traditional online casinos arenât permitted to operate in AU currently. The viable alternative is sweepstakes casinos, of which Roo Vegas is our best platform.
At Roo Vegas, you donât have to make a prior payment to play. Register, and youâll receive free Roo Coins and Spin Coins to use. If you score Spin Cash from your SC sessions and meet the requirements, you can redeem real prizes.
We tested Roo Vegas firsthand and verified that the sweepstakes casino is legit. As such, you can join if youâre in an eligible state. To get started, tap the links on this page to visit the website.
Traditional online casinos arenât legal in Australia, meaning you canât play games with real money. However, sweepstakes casinos are available in a few states, and they let you play with virtual currencies.
Games like pokies, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and poker are available in Australia. You can play them with virtual currencies at sweepstakes casinos, not real money gaming sites.
Real money online casinos arenât permitted in Australia, so thereâs no best site in the category. You can play on Roo Vegas instead, our top-rated AU sweepstakes casino.
Online casino apps arenât available to download in official app stores in Australia because the country doesnât permit them. If you want to play on mobile, sweepstakes casino sites are the best alternatives.
