Casinos are betting venues where you can gamble on different games using cards, dice, spinning wheels and pokies.
Casinos take a cut of the money you spend betting on games.
Some games allow you to increase your chance of winning using your skills. Other games are completely driven by chance and no amount of skill will change the outcome.
Each game has a "house margin" — the percentage of the total money bet that is kept by the casino or "house". Skilled players may be able to reduce the house margin slightly in games of skill, but in games of chance, the margin always remains the same.
Even playing skill-based games, you are not guaranteed to win and the odds are always in favour of the house.
Online casinos
There are also digital casinos where people play casino games online.
Online casinos operating from Australia are illegal. Online casino operating offshore may allow you to play, but it’s important to know that there may be fewer regulations and safeguards and that these casinos are not controlled by Australian laws. Some Australians winning on offshore sites have been unable to claim their money because their stake was stolen, or the site has been shut down.
Some online gambling services are illegal in Australia. If you gamble online through an illegal website, you risk losing everything — your deposit or your winnings. For more information on this, visit Australian Communication and Media Authority.
You can find help to manage your gambling at Get Support.