Key facts
- NetEnt started in 1996 and has belonged to Evolution since 1 December 2020; 16 December 2020 was the last trading day of its shares on Nasdaq Stockholm.
- 2017: NetEnt “phased out deliveries of games to operators in Australia”, as quoted by CasinoBeats on 16 January 2018. We could not find NetEnt’s original release.
- Licence on netent.com: Malta, MGA/CRP/187/2010, held by Evolution Gaming Malta Limited (listed in the MGA register, 11 October 2026). None of its listed licences is Australian.
- Starburst RTP on NetEnt’s page: 96.08%; Gonzo’s Quest: 95.97% (checked 11 October 2026).
NetEnt in short
NetEnt is a slot studio that no longer stands alone: it is part of Evolution. Evolution’s 2025 annual report says NetEnt “started in 1996” and “played a big role in shaping today’s online video slots”.
Evolution closed the purchase on 1 December 2020, according to its year-end report published 10 February 2021. NetEnt’s own release of 3 December 2020 gave 16 December 2020 as the last day of trading in its shares. Who Evolution is and where it is licensed is on our Evolution Gaming page.
The 2017 Australian exit
NetEnt stopped supplying Australian operators during 2017, by its own account as reported in the trade press. CasinoBeats, on 16 January 2018, quoted a NetEnt statement: “During 2017, NetEnt phased out deliveries of games to operators in Australia, Poland and Czech Republic.”
The same statement put a number on it: in the fourth quarter of 2017 the exit of the three markets cut NetEnt’s revenue growth by “around three percentage points”. We could not find the original NetEnt release, so this rests on the CasinoBeats report.
The quoted statement gives no reason. In the same year, on 13 September 2017, the Interactive Gambling Amendment Act 2017 took effect in Australia; its outline says unlicensed regulated interactive gambling services must not be provided to customers in Australia.
What we see today
We see three signals, and none of them is a ban on NetEnt in Australia. Each is a fact about one website or one casino’s terms, dated below.
The owner’s website terms. The terms shared by netent.com, redtiger.com, nolimitcity.com and Big Time Gaming’s site (version 1.1, effective 16 June 2025) say: “Individuals residing in any of the following territories are not permitted to visit the Website: Australia, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Taiwan.” These terms cover the studio websites, not casino contracts.
What the websites did. On 11 October 2026 netent.com still opened from an Australian connection in 3 of 3 checks, despite those terms. Evolution’s games site, games.evolution.com, redirected the same connection to a “blocked jurisdiction” page in 3 of 3 checks.
What casinos write. In our overnight read of casino terms between 30 September and 4 October 2026, three offshore casinos’ terms excluded NetEnt games for players from Australia. We do not name them; they are not licensed in Australia.
What NetEnt and Evolution agree with casinos is not public. So the accurate summary is narrower than “banned”: NetEnt said it left Australian operators in 2017, and the signals we can check in 2026 have not reversed that.
NetEnt’s licences
NetEnt’s own website names a licence held by another Evolution company. The footer of netent.com reads: Evolution Gaming Malta Limited, registration number C 44213, “licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority under license nr. MGA/CRP/187/2010 (issued on 08/04/2022)”.
| Regulator | Licence holder | Number | Register, 11 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malta Gaming Authority | Evolution Gaming Malta Limited | MGA/CRP/187/2010 | Listed in the MGA register (no status column) |
| UK Gambling Commission | Evolution Malta Holding Limited | Account 41655 | Active (public register); the netent.com footer does not name it |
| Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission | Evolution NetEnt International Limited | Software Supply | Active, valid from 16 September 2024 (licensee register) |
None of these licences is Australian, and Australia is not on the licence list in Evolution’s 2025 annual report.
Five NetEnt games and their RTP
NetEnt’s game pages give a release date and one RTP per game. RTP (return to player) is the share of all stakes a game is designed to pay back over a very long run: at 96.08%, A$96.08 for every A$100 staked, not in one session.
| Game | Released | RTP | Max payout | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starburst | 23 January 2012 | 96.08% | 800x bet | NetEnt |
| Gonzo’s Quest | 15 March 2010 | 95.97% | 2,200x bet | NetEnt |
| Dead or Alive 2 | 23 April 2019 | 96.80% | 1,600x bet | NetEnt |
| Divine Fortune | 24 January 2017 | 96.59% | Not on page | NetEnt |
| Mega Fortune | 23 January 2009 | 96.60% | Not on page | NetEnt |
All figures read on NetEnt’s game pages on 11 October 2026. Max payout is a multiple of the stake: at A$1 a spin, 800x is A$800.
The page figure is the studio’s. The version a casino runs is shown in the game’s own information screen, so read it there before you play.
Where we looked for NetEnt
From an Australian connection, none of the casino lobbies we rechecked listed NetEnt. On 11 October 2026 we read the provider filters of ten casinos we review, all offshore and not licensed in Australia: BitStarz showed 49 studios without NetEnt, and Bizzo and eight casinos on the Novatrix platform (listed in our game providers guide) did not list it either.
From a connection in Germany the same day, BitStarz listed 88 studios including NetEnt, and the eight Novatrix lobbies listed it too. A list we captured on 23 September 2026 included NetEnt at BitStarz; from Australia on 11 October it did not.
We read the lists without an account and did not try to open a game. A lobby list can include games that are not offered to Australian accounts; the three casinos whose terms exclude NetEnt for Australia show why. We list no bonus offers here; how no-deposit offers work is explained in our bonus types guide.
Is it legal to play NetEnt pokies in Australia?
Not at an online casino. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) says the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 “makes it illegal for gambling providers to offer some online services to people in Australia”, and online casinos are among the banned services (checked 11 October 2026). None of NetEnt’s listed licences is Australian.
ACMA also writes to studios. Its compliance report of October 2025 says it wrote to 63 software providers whose games were available on an illegal gambling website, and 27 responded and acted to keep their content out of “restricted jurisdictions such as Australia”. ACMA names none of the 63, so we cannot say whether NetEnt was one.
The law is tightening. The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 26 August 2026; most of it starts on 1 January 2027, including powers to block payments to illegal gambling services. Our guide to the law on real-money online casinos covers the detail.
Safer play. Gambling Help Online is available 24 hours a day on 1800 858 858 and at gamblinghelponline.org.au. You can self-exclude from licensed Australian online wagering at betstop.gov.au. Set a limit before you play. You must be 18 or over. More contacts are on our support resources page.
NetEnt FAQ
Are NetEnt games available in Australia?
Not through Australian operators, by NetEnt’s own account: it said it phased out game deliveries to operators in Australia during 2017, as quoted by CasinoBeats on 16 January 2018. In 2026 the website terms of its owner, Evolution, still bar visitors from Australia, and three offshore casinos we checked exclude NetEnt for Australian players. Contracts with casinos are not public.
Who owns NetEnt?
Evolution AB (publ), a Swedish company listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Evolution completed the purchase on 1 December 2020, and NetEnt’s shares last traded on 16 December 2020.
What is the RTP of Starburst?
96.08%, according to NetEnt’s game page checked on 11 October 2026. The same page gives a release date of 23 January 2012 and a maximum payout of 800 times the bet.
Is NetEnt licensed in Australia?
No. The licence named on netent.com is Maltese, MGA/CRP/187/2010, held by Evolution Gaming Malta Limited and listed in the MGA register on 11 October 2026. Australia is not on the licence list in Evolution’s 2025 annual report.
Sources and method
- Evolution AB (publ), Annual Report 2025, published 1 April 2026: NetEnt history, licence list (checked 11 October 2026)
- Evolution, Year-end report 2020, 10 February 2021: completion on 1 December 2020
- NetEnt, delisting of shares from Nasdaq Stockholm, 3 December 2020
- CasinoBeats, NetEnt issues Q4 results warning, 16 January 2018, quoting a NetEnt statement (trade press; original release not found)
- NetEnt, website terms and conditions, version 1.1, effective 16 June 2025; footer licence statement on netent.com (checked 11 October 2026)
- NetEnt game pages for Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest, Dead or Alive 2, Divine Fortune and Mega Fortune (checked 11 October 2026)
- Registers, checked 11 October 2026: Malta Gaming Authority; UK Gambling Commission, account 41655; Isle of Man GSC licensee register
- Our access check: netent.com and games.evolution.com opened three times each through an Australian connection, 11 October 2026
- Our lobby recheck, 11 October 2026: provider filters of BitStarz, Bizzo, King Billy, Woo, Ricky, Casinonic, CasinoChan, PlayAmo, Golden Crown and Dundee Slots, read without logging in through an Australian connection and, for comparison, from a server in Germany (Bizzo from Australia only)
- Our casino files: terms of offshore casinos read 30 September to 4 October 2026; studio lists captured from casino lobbies on 23 September 2026 (a list can miss or include games not offered in Australia)
- Interactive Gambling Amendment Act 2017, as made: Schedule 1 commenced 13 September 2017 (read 11 October 2026)
- Australian Communications and Media Authority: About the Interactive Gambling Act (checked 11 October 2026); Compliance priority 2024–25 report, October 2025, p. 9
- Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026, as made: assent 26 August 2026, commencement table (read 11 October 2026)
Written by: Helene Berner · First published: 11 October 2026 · Last updated: 11 October 2026