Rockstar has unexpectedly blocked in-game playing options in GTA Online for gamers accessing the sport from Australia. Australians are not in a position to activate playing mini-games in GTA Online’s Diamond On line casino, together with blackjack, slots, poker, roulette, or the Inside Observe horse racing mode. The free-to-spin fortunate wheel can be disabled.
These minigames had been beforehand working in Australia for the final seven years, for the reason that institution of the on line casino location in GTA Online in The Diamond On line casino & Resort replace on July 23, 2019. Different performance and missions involving the on line casino stay intact and playable.
The sudden block subsequently comes as a curious transfer in July 2026, a number of months after the March introduction of the nation’s new on-line security code that compelled corporations to introduce age verification mechanics as a barrier between minors and sure grownup content material, and nearly two years after new mandatory minimum classifications for gambling-like content in video video games had been launched in September 2024.
For context, the brand new pointers established that any video video games containing simulated playing, comparable to on line casino video games, have to be categorised R18+ – which legally restricts them to adults. This would come with “[v]ideo video games which have interactive actions comparable to slot machine simulators, roulette wheels or different age-restricted playing or betting companies as a part of a broader sport.” The rules give an instance of an RPG “which incorporates a slot machine that gamers can work together and play with.” Nonetheless, GTA Online is already rated R18+ in Australia – certainly, Grand Theft Auto V was rated R18+ in Australia upon its 2013 launch on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. On paper, the motion of the classification guideline goalposts represents no internet change in ranking for GTA Online. As such, it’s unclear what out of the blue prompted the change this week.
IGN has requested clarification from Rockstar.
At the least for now, Australia has joined a surprisingly lengthy checklist of round 50 nations the place GTA Online’s on line casino betting minigames aren’t purposeful, together with Portugal, Poland, Argentina, Greece, Luxembourg, South Africa, South Korea, China, Malta, and lots of extra.
Online on line casino gaming (together with slots and on line casino desk video games like roulette and blackjack) is definitely unlawful in Australia, and has been for the final quarter of a century beneath the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (Cth). After all, GTA Online’s Diamond On line casino will not be an precise on line casino, and positively wouldn’t seem like the kind of factor this laws is meant to use to. In GTA Online, gamers buy on line casino chips utilizing in-game foreign money that’s earned by enjoying the sport and finishing duties and missions. It’s true that GTA Online permits gamers to buy lump sums of in-game foreign money utilizing actual cash, however foreign money purchased with actual cash was handled as distinct and couldn’t be used to buy on line casino chips. GTA Online additionally options no performance to show foreign money gained in-game into real-world cash.
Whatever the broader dialog round Australia’s in any other case world-leading habit to playing, a high-profile case like GTA Online is prone to generate appreciable cynicism contemplating it’s not the actual factor. In per capita phrases, Australians are the world’s greatest precise gamblers, with losses equal to over $1,500 per grownup yearly.
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN critiques staff. You’ll be able to monitor him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him issues about stuff.