Online gambling valuation in Australia is now close to $5 billion, and numerous new Australian online casinos sites and apps are released regularly, enticing Aussie gamblers. But there are risks in online gambling, like the risk of fraud. This guide shows how to evade fraudsters when playing in new online casinos in Australia in 2025.
What Is Online Gambling Fraud?
It is a broad term that encompasses all practices that are deemed unlawful and unethical and have the intent of exploiting users of online gambling websites, platforms, or apps. The targets of online gambling fraud are everyday people or developers and operators of gambling platforms; the fraudster’s objective is to steal either their identities or money.
Types of Online Gambling Fraud
Fraudsters do not have only one go-to technique to steal funds or accounts of other users. They employ numerous methods, including the following common varieties:
Multi Accounting
This is when fraudsters create lots of accounts using fake or stolen credentials. They can then use those many accounts to manipulate betting platforms, influence gambling outcomes, or as part of additional schemes.
- Bonus Abuse: This method involves fraudsters using their many accounts to access “new user” bonuses, which are available on many new casinos Australia. They can then use free cash, free slot machine spins, and so on to make a profit for themselves.
- Gnoming: This is when fraudsters use their accounts against one another in head-to-head games, like poker. They deliberately lose on some of the accounts and give the others lots of wins, which helps those accounts earn bonuses or rewards.
- Chip Dumping: A poker-specific technique where fraudsters take up an entire poker table using their various fake accounts in order to influence the outcomes in favor of one specific player.
Payment Fraud
- Carding: This is the usage of stolen credit or debit card information to add funds to gambling accounts. Through this, fraudsters can effectively gamble with other people’s money and cash out real winnings.
- Chargebacks: A chargeback is when you make a card payment and then dispute it to get your money back from the seller (in this case, the gambling operator). It’s a common technique used by fraudsters when using fake or stolen cards.
- Phone Top Ups: This is where fraudsters will utilize phishing or other malicious methods to trick people into using their phones to top up the fraudsters’ gambling accounts.
Money Laundering
This is a serious criminal offense in which stolen or otherwise illicit funds are put into a gambling platform and gambled with in order to essentially mask the origins of those funds.
Solutions for Aussie Players
As a player, you’ll want to stay safe when gambling online and avoid falling victim to these kinds of scams and tricks. There are several ways to do this:
Choose Official, Licensed and Legal Sites
The Interactive Gambling Act closely monitors the newest online casinos in Australia, so use those that are licensed and regulated by a trusted authority – you can find lists of blocked illegal gambling websites and legal operators via the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
Also, be sure to stick to the following strategies:
- Carefully double-check the URL to make sure the site is authentic. Official sites have clear URLs, while scammers add extra characters to the URLs of fake sites to make them look the most authentic.
- Unlicensed casinos often have poor quality design, unclear structure, and errors, as well as the absence of contact details or any feedback forms will be a striking indicator.
- If you are doubtful that the site you have chosen is legitimate, then do a Google search – the official site is more likely to appear at the top of the search results, and you can also see user reviews.
Use Two-Factor Authentication and Strong Passwords
Fraudsters will often try to gain access to your account by guessing your password or hacking your mail.
Protect your account as much as possible using all available means: if the casino site offers the ability to protect your login and access via phone and email, use these features. Make long and complicated passwords with numbers and symbols to provide more safeguards for your account.
Be Wary of Messages or Links
Watch out for any suspicious links, emails, or messages that ask you to login to your account, update your payment details, or submit any personal information. Scammers sometimes try to pose as a friend or family member to trick you into giving up your personal info. Be wary of any links or suspicious messages you receive, and don’t give out details – like your casino login details – over messages or phone calls. They may be part of a phishing attempt by fraudsters to steal your data.
Use Secure Payment Systems
Avoid putting money into your account or withdrawing via systems that are not secure. Using debit or credit cards (Visa, Mastercard) and bank transfer are the safest ways, or trusted pay providers, like PayPal, Skrill, and Paysafecard, as long as your account is secured and protected with 2FA.
How to Make a Complaint on Illegal Gambling Operators in Australia?
If you have any reason to suspect illegal or illicit activities on a gambling platform, you can complain to the relevant authorities: to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission via their website here to seek independent legal advice, or contact the relevant licensing authority behind the site to inform them of possible fraud risks or legal infractions.
