GTA Online in-game gambling reportedly blocked in Australia, leaving folks down under locked out of Diamond Casino games

Rockstar look to person abruptly added the state to a database of nations with gambling geo-restrictions

GTA Online players successful Australia person reportedly recovered themselves abruptly barred from the litany of in-game gambling minigames recovered successful Los Santos' Diamond Casino, with the alteration seemingly the effect of developers Rockstar adding the state to their database of places wherever entree to specified minigames is restricted.

Aussies' entree to poker, blackjack, roulette, slots, the Inside Track equine racing minigame, and the Lucky Wheel players tin rotation for a prize erstwhile each 24 hours of existent clip has been restricted, according to a immoderate codification unearthed connected the GTA Forums and shared by Rockstar dataminer Tex2. Any Australian players approaching these games are being served a notification which reads "this diagnostic is not disposable for you".

Said codification besides mentions a "GTAO_CASINO_HOUSE" arsenic being restricted alongside the minigames, which astatine archetypal I thought mightiness hint astatine Australian players losing the quality to bargain oregon entree the Diamond Casino penthouse you tin ammunition retired for arsenic a GTA Online home. However, based connected Australian players' posts, it appears this lone refers to the gambling minigames recovered wrong the penthouse itself having been locked disconnected successful summation to those connected the main casino floor.

I've asked Rockstar for comment.

This abrupt gambling artifact comes aft the Australian authorities introduced caller online information codes successful March, aiming to forestall children from being exposed to age-inappropriate contented via the likes of websites and video games by mandating property verification. The state besides brought successful "new classifications for gambling-like contented successful video games" backmost successful 2024, specifically mandating that "simulated gaming, specified arsenic casino-style games, are legally restricted to adults and classified arsenic R 18+".

Whether Rockstar's evident determination to restrict entree to these minigames for Australians close present is simply a delayed effect of immoderate of that oregon an effort to get retired up of further regularisation that mightiness beryllium coming down the tube isn't wide astatine the moment. It does beg the question whether immoderate caller online constituent that comes with GTA 6 mightiness shy distant from including thing akin to the Diamond Casino, arsenic assorted countries astir the satellite determination to tighten their laws regarding what radical tin entree online without verifying their property oregon jumping done akin hoops. It's worthy noting the Diamond Casino wasn't a portion of GTA Online astatine release, alternatively arriving arsenic portion of a heist-centred enlargement successful 2019.