GTA Online quietly removes feature ahead of GTA 6, raising censorship concerns

GTA Online players in Australia have reportedly been restricted from playing one of the game's most popular features, which doesn't bode well for the next iteration following the release of GTA VI.

In GTA Online, much like the single-player story, players exist in Los Santos, but this time, it’s shared with millions of users all over the world. Since its launch in 2013 and across multiple generations, GTA Online has kept pulling players in with its story missions, competitive modes, role-playing elements, and more, all supported by Rockstar Games' constant flow of content updates.

One of the most popular features of GTA Online is venturing into the casinos of Los Santos to spin the roulette wheel, try their luck on the slot machines or play some cards. Players can spend money at the casino by using in-game GTA$. This currency can be easily earned in-game or purchased with real-world money via its Shark Cards, and this appears to be a significant issue in some countries.

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Australian players report being restricted in GTA Online

As brought to our attention by the X accounts Dexerto and Tex2, reports are making the rounds that Australia has suddenly been restricted from gambling in the GTA Online casinos, with some games such as the Lucky Wheel now being rendered “useless”.

Dexerto also reports that Australian players are restricted from accessing gambling games in Red Dead Online. When players try to play the Rockstar gambling games, many are reportedly greeted with the following notification: “This feature is not available for you.”

While Rockstar Games hasn't provided a comment on this restriction at the time of writing, we can only assume that these restrictions are in place due to localised gambling laws. Gambling in video games has been a constant hot topic of discussion for years.

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The common loophole that separates games from actual real-world gambling is that you technically don’t spend real-world money directly in GTA Online’s casinos. As alluded to earlier, chips and whatnot are acquired by using the in-game GTA$, which is easily obtainable for free in-game, but you have the added option of buying Shark Cards for additional GTA$ to spend.

Due to that loophole, technically under Australian law, the games in the GTA Online casinos aren't classed as real gambling, because you don't directly spend money on those games, nor can you earn or win real-world money. It’s certainly a big grey area. So this sudden restriction has taken many by surprise, with GTA V and GTA Online being classed as R18+ in Australia.

It’s not known at this time whether the restriction in Australia could turn into a permanent ban; that remains to be seen. However, if it does go that way, Australia will be joining the likes of Afghanistan, China, Cuba, Israel, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and more, where simulated gambling is banned.

GTA VI will be released on November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. While the next iteration of GTA Online hasn't been announced, it’s expected to arrive after the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI.

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