Calls Grow to Review Ban on Online In-Play Betting in Australia

For now, federal law still prohibits Australians from placing live in-play bets online once a match has started. The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA) makes it illegal for local online bookmakers to offer those wagers.

The government has shown no interest in loosening that stance, and has instead vowed to tighten enforcement and close loopholes such as “click-to-call” services, where punters technically place bets over the phone but in practice use VOIP to bypass the rules.

In-venue and telephone live betting remain legal, which means Australians can still place in-play wagers through retail outlets, but not at local online sports betting sites. To add to that, many international betting platforms that are accessible to Australians continue to offer full in-play markets, leaving Australian-licensed operators at a competitive disadvantage.

That uneven playing field has become a sticking point for both the industry and consumer advocates.

The most significant move came earlier this year when Tabcorp, one of the largest betting companies in the country, rolled out a trial in New South Wales. In May 2025, the company introduced its new “tap-in-play” service across selected pubs and clubs.

With the new system, sports bettors can place a bet via the TAB mobile app (the standard TAB sports betting app), and then, when they want to confirm their bet, they tap their phone on an NFC terminal inside the venue. The app works with in-play bets too, so as long as bettors are in a venue that has a TAB terminal, they can place bets live.

Chief executive Gillon McLachlan called the programme “the future of wagering,” positioning it as a way to modernise retail betting while staying compliant with federal law. The trial began in two venues and quickly expanded, with plans to reach 20 by the end of the year. If successful, it could become the norm for how live betting might operate within the current regulatory framework across the country.

Industry analysts described the move as a strategic play. Some say the trial shows how Tabcorp is trying to keep pubs and clubs relevant in an era when most punters prefer to bet on their phones. By tying the app to physical venues, the company is effectively blending retail wagering with the convenience of betting through a mobile app.

While Tabcorp’s pilot has been welcomed as a lawful innovation and continues to expand, rival local bookmaker Sportsbet has been under mounting pressure lately. A class action in the Victorian Supreme Court accuses the company of using its “Fast Code” system to let punters place in-play bets that should have been banned, with lawyers seeking refunds for wagers made between 2018 and 2024.

Sportsbet’s “Fast Code” system lets punters select a live bet via the app or website. That selection would generate a unique code embedding all the bet details, like the event, type of bet, and selection. Punters then made a quick phone call to Sportsbet, reciting the code and specifying the stake size to confirm the wager. The issue is that the law only allows for bets made wholly by voice, and since the “Fast Code” included the app first, it was deemed illegal.

Sportsbet has also received a lot of criticism for how it promotes its products. Earlier this year, it pulled the live odds from AFL and NRL broadcasts after complaints that gambling was taking over the coverage, but in August, it was back in the spotlight when same-game multi promos appeared on the AFL’s own website.

That controversy took place just as the federal government tightened the rules to ban betting ads during daytime live sport. Industry experts argue that the real problem is the ongoing ban on online in-play betting, and they point out that offshore bookmakers not only allow live betting but often offer more competitive odds and better packages overall, leaving Australian-licensed operators struggling to match them.

Tabcorp’s NSW pilot could show whether live betting can expand safely, but despite the most recent calls to review the long-lasting ban on in-play betting in Australia, punters still face limited local options, and offshore sites remain popular.

NSW pubs and clubs could soon decide how Australia’s live betting rules will evolve.