Rockstar has been sought for comment on the decision, which 7NEWS.com.au understands was not a directive from the Australian government under any legislation.<\/p>\n
Players exploring the fictional state of San Andreas in GTA Online can purchase casino chips using virtual currency earned by playing the game and completing missions.<\/p>\n
Gamers can also pour real money into GTA shark cards, which provide in-game money.<\/p>\n
But there is no avenue to turn the virtual currency back into real-world cash.<\/p>\n
According to the terms of service, virtual items in the game have no monetary value and cannot be redeemed for real money.<\/p>\n
![\"Grand](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1388aedde11341d04db9ff77eccf607ec7796023.jpg\")
Grand Theft Auto V\u2019s Diamond Casino, where mini-games have been banned for Australian players. Credit: Rockstar Games<\/p>\n
In Australia, video games with simulated gambling must carry an R18+ classification<\/a>, something the game has done since its release in 2013. <\/p>\n The casino was established as a location to visit for online players quite some years into the game\u2019s lengthy cycle, but has been popular.<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t watch TV without being bombarded with ads for actual gambling sites, but banning gambling fake money in an R18+ game is where we draw the line. Logical,\u201d one person commented sarcastically on a social media post about the casino update.<\/p>\n Another gamer said: \u201cMe any my 30-year-old mates can\u2019t go to an online casino in a video game in funny outfits and play blackjack together for virtual money that we don\u2019t care about and have fun. Can gamble and lose thousands on my phone in five presses though.\u201d<\/p>\n The casino game ban comes at a time when the federal government is clamping down on gambling regulations, with fresh reforms being introduced in January<\/a>.<\/p>\n Popular Australian Twitch streamer Matthew Judge, who has poured more than 14,000 hours into Grand Theft Auto V\u2019s single player and online components, believes the ban was introduced \u201cout of caution\u201d to comply with an online safety code<\/a> \u201cdesigned to limit what content under 18s can engage with online<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAmong other things, they explicitly seek to prevent children from accessing simulated gambling,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps Rockstar fears they can\u2019t sufficiently verify the age of users and so have removed this content rather than potentially be in violation. <\/p>\n \u201cIt is possible that this removal is pre-emptive and they will implement an age verification system that is sufficient to give adults access again at a later date \u2014 time will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n Australia joins a list of more than 50 countries including Portugal, Greece and South Africa where the casino mini-games have been disabled.<\/p>\n Australia has the highest gambling losses<\/a> in the world \u2014 more than $1500 per adult every year.<\/p>\n Rockstar\u2019s decision comes ahead of its highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI<\/a> release in November.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Countdown begins for ‘biggest release in video game history\u2019<\/p>\n 3 min read<\/p>\n