Surprise, Surprise: Top Black Market Online Casino enters Australia

Black Market extraordinaire, Ignition Casino, is now accepting Australia online casino and poker players.

In 2006, the US passed a law prohibiting online gambling. Some operators bowed out, while others chose to remain. Between then and 2011, the heavy hand of justice fell hard upon operators who failed to heed the warning. An exodus ensued, with one major operator left behind. Its name was Bovada.

Bovada was the US-facing cousin of globally renowned iGaming operator, Bodog. While most of the industry feared the wrath of the US government, Bovada stood strong. Not long ago, it was rebranded as Ignition Casino, but the site continues to accept US players to this day, with no notable retribution from the federal government.

The brand became known as the black market extraordinaire of the online gambling industry. Ignition Casino only accepts players from black market jurisdictions, where the laws clearly prohibit its operation. They don’t even bother with white market, or even grey market, regions.

Thus, Ignition’s recent alterations to its player registration form, regarding what country a player is signing up from, should come as little surprise. The site is now accepting Australia online casino and poker players.

Australia Online Casino Market Shifting

For nearly two decades, Australia has been classified as a ‘grey market‘ area in terms of online gambling laws. The Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 was meant to prohibit operators of online casino and poker sites from accepting Australian players.

However, its language was greatly lacking. The IGA was ineffective as it provided no means of monitoring, identifying, or penalizing any operator found in violation. There was no government body assigned to these tasks.

In all likelihood, that’s going to change, and perhaps much sooner than later. The government has already drawn up a new bill, known as the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill, scripted to fill all the gaps in the original IGA.

It will specifically define which activities are illegal, and which are not. It will also create government bodies to facilitate all methods of action against unlicenced operators. In its current context, once the bill is signed into law, Australia online casino and poker operations will be effectively outlawed.

With pending prohibition on the horizon, many major competitors have already pulled the plug on their Australia online casino and poker operations. Others have made clear their intent to evacuate the moment the law goes into effect.

Start Your Engines: Here Comes Ignition

Being so adept at servicing blackjack market jurisdictions, it’s no wonder Ignition doesn’t publish which countries it accepts players from on its website. However, the sign-up form for new players tells a vivid story.

Previously, only 6 countries and territories were accepted. They included the United States and its five overseas territories, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and the Minor Outlying Islands. Entering any other location would result in the message, “Sorry, the site is currently not available in your country.”

That used to be the message received when signing up from Australia. But that’s no longer the case. Now, Australia online casino and poker players are welcome to register an account, as are residents of the four inhabited island territories, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Heard and McDonalds Islands, and Norfolk Island.

If the black market extraordinaire’s expertise are any indication, the prohibition against Australia online casino and poker operators is imminent.