Gambling in Western Australia
There are few offline gambling houses in Western Australia, but the players living or staying there have unlimited access to any other online casinos that accept Australian players, in case they do not want to travel to Perth for some betting! Paradoxically, local online betting casinos in WA cannot offer their services to local gamblers, but the players still have access to them, as the websites promote themselves to the gambling community worldwide. Therefore, Western Australia may be less attractive the fans of land based gambling houses, but this state does not differ much in terms of online gambling.
According to the affiliate disclosure, we need to inform you that this page contains affiliate links. We can receive a commission on casino deposits made by users via these links. However, we honestly rank online casinos and provide the Casinority Score based rating. Play responsibly and only in legal allowed countries!
Accurate and Up-to-Date Bonus Information
Continuous Updates and Information Maintenance
Always In-Depth and Rigorous Casino Analysis
Over 10 Years of Expertise
Western Australia casinos
History of Gambling in Western Australia
The first cases of systematic gambling in Western Australia are noted in its history in the middle of the 19th century. In fact, gambling started becoming popular roughly in 1840s, when the first Chinese settlers came to the continent. Chinese have already had a long history of various betting entertainments, so they started sharing their experience with other settlers. Gambling spread and became an obsession in many strata of society pretty fast.
Overall, it was illegal, and even in 1900s, when the first slot machines appeared, they were not legit. However, they became extremely demanded in different bars and pubs. Eventually, even rich people started to express interest to this entertainment, and organized gentlemen clubs. With time, the government had no choice but to legalize gambling under a strict set of rules.
There was another aspect that stimulated the development of gambling in WA as we know it today, and it was racing. This was generally an entertainment for privileged aristocratic society that had no TV or Internet back in the 19th century. Since tons of money were flowing through the hands of the book-makers, this entertainment also demanded legalization. In 1956, gambling in Australia and in WA as well was legalized officially, and already in late 1990s, the first online casinos started to appear.
Laws for Gambling in WA
There is a real bunch of laws on betting and gaming in Australia overall, and in WA in particular. This is only fair and sound, because gambling activities and businesses have been legal since the middle of the previous century, and the niche is connected to dozens of other aspects, like tax payments and illegal facilities.
Moreover, with development of the Internet and all the numerous virtual platforms, the government had to take into consideration new risks connected to tax payment, fair play, fair winning payments, and security of the users’ database.
There are several gambling laws that are applicable to all territories in Australia, not only to WA. These include: Betting Act (1964), Casino Control Act (2006), Gaming Machine Act (2004), Interactive Gambling Act (1998), Race and Sports Bookmaking Act (2001).
Western Australia state is regulated with a few specific laws that are active on its territory, for example:
- Casino (Burswood Island) Agreement Act 1985
- Casino Control Act 1984
- Gaming and Betting (Contracts and Securities) Act 1985
- Gaming and Wagering Commission Act 1987
Other, more recent legislative documents, are also active in all territories:
- Betting Tax Act (2001)
- Gaming Machines Act (2001)
- Unlawful Gambling Act (1998)
Overall, the players should not be bothered with WA gambling laws a lot. This is an issue for businesses in the niche, and not for players. Why? Because, firstly, local ventures cannot offer their services to local players, but the players are not limited whatsoever to gambling anywhere they desire. And secondly, Australian government, and the authorities of WA, do not take tax from the online casino in Western Australia winners. They accept taxes only from businesses. Isn’t that great? Therefore, if you want to gamble in WA, there are virtually no relevant laws you could violate.
Regulatory Authorities in WA
In Australia, there are several governmental bodies that regulate certain issues in the niche everywhere on the continent, and some local authorities that reviews the issues of gaming in separate state. In WA, the relevant authority responsible for gaming niche, is the Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor. This authority regulates three aspects at the same time, because they are often interconnected.
Liquor aspect is important in the niche of gambling in Western Australia, because legal land based casino in Western Australia serve alcohol and tobacco to their customers, and these two products are always eligible for separate types of regulation and quality control. So, little surprise the Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor addresses it as well.
Generally, there are only three legal land based casinos in the state, so the Department does not seem to be super busy with extra work. Yet, the number of online casinos in Australian the local players reach cannot be counted, so the agency collaborates with other regulating authorities like Gambling Commissions all over the world, to collect information about casinos available to Australians, and whether these casinos are legal. With the development of Internet, and fast growth of virtual platforms, it became harder to control this niche, and provide secure experience to the citizens. It can be said that today, land based casinos can bring less trouble than virtual ones.
Taxation Laws on Gambling in WA
Western Australia is no different in terms of taxation from the rest of Australian states. The point is, only businesses pay taxes to the government in the sphere of gambling in WA. Businesses make huge money in this niche, therefore, the government believes it is fair to take money from them and not the customers.
According to the Australian government, visitors of online casinos can win only if they are very lucky, therefore, gaming is not considered as income in WA. Plus, the authorities are aware that, to win anything from a Western Australia casino, one has to spend considerable money on betting in the first place. So, when the person gets the winnings, they rarely exceed their initial investments. As a result, the government does not believe it is fair to tax citizens who entertain themselves by risking their money. Players never pay taxes, regardless of their type of entertainment, be it offline or online venture. When talking about races, for example, ot lotteries, the situation is a bit different, because the tax is already included into the lottery ticket, or ticket to the racing event. But the winnings are never subject to tax.
Land Based Casinos in WA
Is there pokies in Western Australia? How many casinos in Western Australia?
There are only three land based gambling ventures in Western Australia. There may be more, but those are illegal and won’t probably live long, because the government takes specific efforts to prevent illegal gambling. So, if you would like to feel the festive atmosphere of a real casino WA, and maybe also socialize with fellow gamblers, try visiting one of the following facilities.
This is a huge hotel, restaurant, and casino located in Burswood. The modern building is beautiful and stylish, so even staying there is a real pleasure. On the other hand, this is one of the best offline gambling ventures in WA, so all casino fans should visit it at least once.
This is not a casino as we are used to it, but a racing facility. It also has a hotel to stay at. They have races schedule, and the venture is generally pretty busy, which is surprising in 2020.
This is another great place for watching and betting on the races. Ascot Racecourse in Perth has hotels, restaurants, and SPAs, in addition to the racing field.
If you are mostly into roulettes, slots, blackjack, or poker, perhaps online ventures will be more preferable to you.
Banking Options for Gambling in Western Australia
Western Australia is eligible for the same banking options as the rest of Australian states, which, in their turn, can use any global banking options to their liking. Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are totally functional. Bank wire transfer, or Check by Courier are two the slowest withdrawal methods, while debit and credit cards are the fastest methods for depositing.
Talking about instant transactions via digital payment systems, Australians as citizens of a developed country have access to almost every system known globally - from Payoneer, Skrill, Neteller, or PayPal, to local digital wallets. The main issue is what type of payment is available in each particular online casino. Only reliable casinos that take care of their reputation, want to function in the niche for long years and be competitive for the customers, provide as many banking options as possible. They try to partner and collaborate with the most reliable and well-known systems. However, there are dozens of scammy casinos that offer the fastest methods of depositing, yet the slowest methods of withdrawal. Every sane player should avoid such gambling platforms, even if they offer lucrative bonuses and other attractive features.
Banking is a sensitive issue, so every player who does not want to simply waste their money should research this aspect with utmost attention.
Popular Cities in Western Australia for Gambling
Despite the fact that Perth is the capital of the Western Australia state, it has only one land based casino. The city of Burswood hosts two racing facilities, and this is basically all. So the fans of land based ventures have little to choose from. However, online gambling is not limited in any way. Australian players or travellers visiting Australia can access both local and foreign platforms from any Australian city.
Facts About Western Australia
There are several gambling facts about Western Australia that you should keep in mind, just to be on the safe side:
- in fact, not all casino games are banned for local players in local online casinos. This regulation is pretty hard to understand, but the main rule is not to offer the players interactive casino games, where the outcome of the game, or winnings, can depend on the player’s actions. So, some local casinos can provide services to local players, but the games are limited. For example, it is hard to find a live casino in Western Australia.
- online sports betting has to stop before the event starts, and the players who wants to make a bet remotely have to call the book-maker. This is the reason why racing is more popular offline, and online games fans stick to slots.
- epoker is extremely popular among the WA gamblers (as everywhere in the world as well), but since it is more of an interactive game, the players in WA are recommended to access international platforms.
