This page outlines gambling and gambling-related offences that are regulated under the Gambling Regulation Act 2003 (the Act).
Changes to the Act came into effect on 1 July 2015. The legislation consolidates the various offences previously relating to:
They were replaced with three new offences relating to conducting 'unauthorised gambling'.
It also provides a definition of gambling in the legislation.
Gambling is defined in the Act as an activity which includes all of the following:
An activity is defined as 'gambling' if it involves an element of chance. This applies even if the outcome of the activity may be influenced by a person's skill.
'Unauthorised gambling' means gambling that is not authorised by or under the Act or other legislation.
A person conducts unauthorised gambling if they:
A person does not conduct unauthorised gambling if they only participate in unauthorised gambling.
Activities that do not fall under the definition of gambling include:
Some activities that fall within the new definition of 'gambling' are defined as being 'authorised' for the purposes of the Act. These include:
Conduct of these activities (in accordance with the legislative provisions applying to them) will not constitute an 'unauthorised gambling' offence.
Offences specified under the Act are:
Penalties for breaching the Act include up to: