Rockstar Games has blocked Australian GTA Online players from gambling at the in-game Diamond Casino, removing access to poker tables, slot machines, roulette, and even the Lucky Wheel spin.
The restriction emerged quietly when Australian players began reporting locked casino features late last month. According to dataminer Tez2, who examines GTA Online’s code, Rockstar added a geographic restriction labeled “Gambling_Restricted_Geographic” in a recent update.
The block prevents Australian users from accessing seven separate casino features: the Casino House, Three Card Poker, Inside Track betting, the Lucky Wheel, Blackjack, Roulette, and Casino Slots. Players can still enter the Diamond Casino building itself, but all gambling interactions are disabled.
Player backlash over the seven-year-old feature
The Diamond Casino was added to GTA Online in 2019, making the restriction particularly jarring for players who have accessed the feature for years. Frustration spread quickly on social media, with users questioning why the government would step in when the game uses fictional casino chips rather than direct real-money gambling.
One Reddit user described the move as an overreach of government control, writing that it felt like losing a feature they had originally purchased. Another pointed out the absurdity of blocking casino access in a game where players routinely commit virtual crimes, from weapons trafficking to heists.
While Rockstar Games has not issued an official statement, the timing aligns with heightened scrutiny of online gambling in Australia. The country has recently tightened enforcement around gambling-like mechanics in video games, though GTA Online’s system does not involve real-money wagering in the traditional sense.
Red Dead Online poker reportedly affected
Australian players have also reported losing access to poker in Red Dead Online, Rockstar’s other major online title. Like GTA Online, Red Dead Online’s poker uses in-game currency without a direct cash-to-chips purchase mechanism, making the restriction broader than games with explicit real-money gambling systems.
The move marks a rare instance of a major publisher geo-blocking an established game feature years after launch, raising questions about whether similar restrictions could expand to other regions or titles.
Based on reporting by VICE.