Closed Market

The fact that the gambling market in Australia is as big as it is, coupled with the rising popularity of online casino games, may explain why in 2018, Australia chose to close its online casino market, cutting the options for Australian players down a great deal.

The market is not completely gone, however, and there are still a few operators remaining who provide casino options to Australian players. While these options are limited, the lack of competition means that two casinos stand firmly at the top of the pile, giving Australians two main choices for where to play.

As much as it’s a shame to not have the level of variety offered in many other jurisdictions when it comes to online casinos and Live Dealer software developers, there’s something to be said for having fewer choices, especially when it comes to trust.

The fact that there are two big names in the Australian online casino market at this point means that players can rest assured they and their money will be protected at either of them, and there’s no substitute for that level of reassurance.

In perhaps a strange coincidence, as well as being two main online casinos in Australia, there are also two main developers providing Live Blackjack options, and each one provides their games to one of the big two casinos.

MYB Casino and Visionary iGaming Live Blackjack

MYB Casino is a spinoff of MyBookie, an online sports betting operator that has been providing virtual betting games for four years.

The expansion into other aspects of the industry is something many sports betting sites have attempted, with varying levels of success, but MYB did it with style, and this online casino swiftly became one of the most popular online casino operators in Australia.

In terms of casino games, BetSoft are the main provider here in terms of slots, while Concept Gaming and Nucleus also provide strong numbers, but when it comes to Live Blackjack, it’s Visionary iGaming (ViG) you want to pay attention to.

ViG Live Gaming only offer a small number of Live Dealer games, and Live Blackjack is the jewel in its crown. ViG Live Blackjack follows the rules of most traditional blackjack games, but with a few tweaks. Where most games will have the dealer stand on 17, ViG Live Blackjack has the dealer stand on a hard 17, but hit on a soft 17.

Six decks of cards are used, which are shuffled manually, which many enjoy for the sake of peace of mind. ViG Live Blackjack also allows players to double down after a split, as long as they have not split aces.

The combination of the quality of ViG’s Live Blackjack, and the platform offered by MYB Casino, make it no surprise that this is one of the most popular Live Blackjack options for Australian players.

Casoo Casino and Lucky Streak

The combination of MYB Casino and ViG Live Blackjack is a tough one to beat, but they have competition in the Australian market from another impressive duo, Casoo Casino and Lucky Streak.

Casoo Casino made a quick impact in the Australian gambling world thanks to its impressive welcome bonus, which includes no deposit spins and a 100% welcome bonus on a player’s first deposit, along with another 20 spins (promotions valid at the time of writing, subject to change, terms and conditions apply).

Getting past the welcome bonus doesn’t mean the treats stop coming here either, whether various bonuses for existing customers including a VIP loyalty program.

There are a few gaming options available here, including Live Blackjack, which comes from Lucky Streak.

Lucky Streak’s Live Blackjack stands out from the outset thanks to its affluent style. Huge pillars stand in the centre of the room, with a particularly large Blackjack table being the centrepiece of the Lucky streak Live Casino.

With seven seats, and Bet Behind options when the table is full, as well as 21+3 side bets, there are various options for Live Blackjack players here.

Casual, soft spoken dealers are also a mainstay with this Live Blackjack offering.

Payment Methods

Since the Australian online casino market closed, there have been substantially fewer options for players when it comes to payment and withdrawal methods.

However, debit and credit card transactions are still accepted at online casinos in the country, and bitcoin is also growing in popularity as a payment method, as it is in many other industries around the world at the moment.

The Australian market is not the playground of online casino options that it once was, and that’s bound to be disappointing to many players, especially considering how ubiquitous gambling is as a hobby in the country.

However, those who have kept their head above water as those around them sunk beneath, continue to offer excellent Live Blackjack options for players, and as the games themselves continue to change and evolve, you can expect the likes of Lucky Streak and ViG to be at the forefront of that evolution.

In conclusion, although the options have been reduced a great deal in 2018, those that remain were amongst the best before, and they’re arguably even better now.