In-Play Betting Law in Australia: Can You Bet Live Online?
Can you bet in-play online in Australia? With a licensed bookmaker, no — and the old "click-to-call" workaround was shut down in 2023. Here's the full, honest picture: what the law says, how you can still legally place a live bet, what changed, and the risks of offshore in-play. General information as at 14/07/2026, not legal advice.
What Is In-Play (Live) Betting?
In-play — also called live or in-running betting — is placing a bet after an event has started, with odds that shift ball-by-ball. It covers next goal, next wicket, live line moves and micro markets. It's popular because it's fast; that speed is exactly why Australian law restricts it online.
Is In-Play Betting Legal in Australia? (Short Answer)
Online in-play betting is not available from Australian-licensed bookmakers. Once an event is under way, licensed operators can only accept live bets by phone or in person. Pre-match online betting is fully legal. Offshore books offer online in-play, but they aren't licensed or regulated in Australia.
Why the IGA Bans Online In-Play Betting
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 treats rapid, repeated live betting as higher-risk for gambling harm, so it prohibits licensed operators from offering it online. The policy intent is harm minimisation — slowing the bet-to-bet cycle that live micro-markets can create.
The "Click-to-Call" Loophole — How It Worked
For years, bookmakers skirted the online ban with in-app "click-to-call" features: you'd tap a button in the betting app and it would auto-dial a voice line to place the "phone" bet in seconds — technically a phone bet, practically an online one.
The 2023 Closure of Click-to-Call
In 2023 the ACMA moved against this workaround, finding that in-app click-to-call in-play features breached the spirit of the IGA's phone-betting exception. Bookmakers withdrew the feature, so the fast in-app live-betting shortcut is gone for licensed operators.
How You Can Legally Place a Live Bet Today
- By phone — call the bookmaker's telephone betting line and place the live bet with an operator or automated system.
- In a retail venue — at a TAB, or a pub/club with betting facilities.
- Multi-day tournament exception — for some events (e.g. Test cricket, golf), betting between days/sessions is treated as pre-match, so online bets are allowed when play is paused.
Operators vs Players — Who Is Liable?
As with the rest of the IGA, the law targets operators, not punters. The obligation not to offer online in-play sits with the bookmaker. There is no offence or penalty history for an individual placing a live bet, including via an offshore site — but offshore use carries the usual no-Australian-protection risk.
Offshore Sites Offering In-Play — The Risks
Offshore sportsbooks freely offer full online in-play betting to Australians. The trade-off: no Australian licence, no local dispute resolution, no BetStop coverage, and ACMA may block the domain. We cover the offshore books we list — with full disclosure — on our sports betting sites page.
Will Online In-Play Ever Be Legalised?
It's periodically debated. Proponents argue regulated online in-play would pull punters away from unregulated offshore sites; opponents cite harm-minimisation. For now the ban stands, and the trend in AU gambling policy has been toward more restriction (credit-card ban, BetStop), not less.
Responsible Gambling — Live Betting Is Higher-Risk
Gambling is meant to be entertainment, not a way to make money. If it stops being fun, or you're chasing losses, help is free and confidential:
- Gambling Help Online — 1800 858 858 · gamblinghelponline.org.au
Free 24/7 national counselling, chat and self-help — the primary resource. - BetStop · betstop.gov.au
The National Self-Exclusion Register — block yourself from all AU-licensed operators in one step. - Lifeline — 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au
24/7 crisis support if gambling harm affects your mental health. - Gambler's Help (VIC) — 1800 858 858 · gamblershelp.com.au
Victoria's free counselling and financial-counselling network. - GambleAware (NSW) — 1800 858 858 · gambleaware.nsw.gov.au
NSW support, self-exclusion and family help. - Gambling Help QLD / WA / SA — 1800 858 858 · gamblinghelponline.org.au
State services routed through the national line.
Tools that help: set deposit and loss limits, use reality-checks and time-outs, and self-exclude via BetStop for AU-licensed operators. Many Australian banks (CommBank, NAB, Westpac, Up) also let you switch on a gambling-transaction block in-app.