About Olivia Thompson - Your Independent StayCasino Australia Analyst

About the Author - Olivia Thompson, AU Online Casino Content Analyst

I'm Olivia Thompson. I review online casinos that take Aussie players, especially the offshore ones. Over the last 4 years I've been digging into how Curaçao-licensed casinos really work for people logging in from Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Hobart, Darwin and everywhere in between, with a particular focus on transparency, player safety and realistic expectations about what online gambling can and can't offer.

On staybet-au.com, I mostly do the boring bits for you - digging into licences, payments, bonus rules and the grey areas - then turn all that into plain English for Aussie players. That includes looking at how sites like StayCasino's Australia-facing frontend are talked about online (often under names like staycasino-australia) and what they actually look like once you're logged in. The aim is to give you enough clear, local information so you can decide for yourself whether a site deserves your time and money, instead of relying on glossy promo copy or vague promises.

Who I am and how I ended up reviewing casinos for Aussies

I work as an independent gambling reviewer and iGaming blogger, specialising in offshore casinos that target Australian players without holding a local licence. I'm not on any casino's payroll and I don't write PR pieces for gambling companies. My relationship is with you, the reader, and with this site as its primary casino analyst and writer. That independence matters a lot to me because it lets me be blunt when something looks off from an Aussie player's point of view, instead of worrying about upsetting an operator.

Over the last four years, I've spent an unhealthy amount of time reading terms and conditions, checking licence seals like Antillephone N.V. 8048/JAZ2019-015 and stress-testing bonus offers from an Aussie point of view. Not glamorous, but it does show where players can get stung. On top of that, I keep an eye on ACMA announcements and general news so I know when rules or blocking behaviour shift for Australians. Where some people see a shiny lobby and a few popular pokies, I see a tangle of systems that either support safer play or quietly work against it. My job on staybet-au.com is to pull that structure into the open so you're not ambushed by fine print or surprise limits later.

2. Expertise and Credentials

My expertise comes from hands-on analysis of online casinos, not from repeating marketing slogans or operator talking points. Before I narrowed in on the AU market, I started out as a general iGaming content writer. It didn't take long to realise that Australian players were dealing with a particularly messy situation: offshore sites, rotating mirror domains, ISP blocks, unfamiliar payment options and a regulatory setup shaped by long-standing rules like the Interactive Gambling Act and ACMA's ongoing site blocks.

Since then, I have specialised in:

• Analysing casino licensing frameworks, especially Curaçao master licence structures and what they mean for Australian players who access sites via AU-facing portals like staybet-au.com.
• Reviewing bonus terms line by line: wagering requirements, game weightings, max bet rules, excluded games and country restrictions, with straightforward explanations of how they affect typical Aussie deposit sizes.
• Comparing AUD-friendly payment methods and realistic cash-out times for Australians, including alternatives where POLi and PayID are not available, and how local banks and card issuers here tend to treat gambling transactions (for example, random declines or cash-advance fees).
• Evaluating pokies, table games and live dealer portfolios with a focus on provider reputation, game fairness claims and volatility/RTP information where it is disclosed, then explaining what those numbers actually mean for your balance over time rather than just saying "high RTP is good".

I don't hold formal gambling-industry certifications, and I'm not a lawyer or financial adviser. I don't pretend to be one either. My real "credentials" are the hours spent cross-checking casino claims against licence registers, reading ACMA decisions, verifying validator links like the Antillephone seal used by StayCasino, and writing down how these offshore sites behave in practice for Australian users. Whenever there's a gap between what's promised and what actually happens, I try to flag it clearly instead of brushing past it.

To stay reliable and current, I regularly:

• Monitor changes to the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 and ACMA's public register of blocking actions, so I can explain why certain domains suddenly stop working or start timing out for Australian IP addresses.
• Check operator entities (such as Hollycorn N.V. and Libergos Limited) against Curaçao company and licensing records and see whether those details line up with what appears in the casino footer and on licence seals.
• Align every review with the casino's latest terms & conditions and the operator's privacy policy, highlighting the bits that matter in plain language rather than leaving you to untangle the legal wording yourself.

3. Specialisation Areas

The AU online gambling space feels like an alternate version of the global casino map: on the surface it looks familiar, but when you start clicking around you find dead ends, blocked doors and country-specific hazards. My specialisation is helping you move through that version without pretending that online casinos are some easy shortcut to extra income. In my view, they're paid entertainment with real financial risk, and that's the filter I use across everything I write.

In practice, that means a few main things I keep coming back to:

• Australian online casino regulations: I track how the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 applies to real-money online casinos, how ACMA's blocks show up in real life - sites suddenly timing out or disappearing for Aussie IPs - and what this looks like when you're just trying to log in and play. I also unpack what it means when you end up on mirror domains such as staybet-au.com as an AU-facing entry point to offshore brands such as StayCasino that you might land on via this site.
• Curaçao-licensed offshore casinos: I look past the licence logo and tiny badge, checking validator URLs, operator entities like Hollycorn N.V., the offshore operator that runs the site, and what "dispute resolution" really means when you're playing from Australia in AUD.
• Bonus and promotion analysis: On this site I break down welcome packages, reload offers and free spins in detail, focusing on fairness, hidden restrictions and whether offers are actually achievable for typical Australian budgets. You'll see this in the way we talk about bonuses & promotions, where I weigh up the headline numbers against the practical difficulty of clearing them.
• AUD payment methods and cash-outs: I pay close attention to deposit and withdrawal options available to Australians, especially when familiar local methods like POLi or PayID are missing. My reviews weigh up card payments, bank transfers, e-wallets and crypto (where offered) with an emphasis on fees, limits and realistic withdrawal times, and I unpack this more fully in our dedicated payment methods section.
• Australian pokies and live dealer trends: I keep an eye on which providers and game types are most popular with Australian players - from high-volatility online pokies and jackpot slots to live dealer blackjack, roulette and game shows - and how the game libraries at sites linked through staybet-au.com stack up against other offshore options.
• Mirror domains and ISP blocking: Many offshore casinos use rotating domains to route around ACMA blocks. I explain what that actually means, what risks it might introduce, and how to recognise when a new-looking domain is just another doorway into the same underlying casino rather than a completely different site.

4. Achievements and Publications

Most of what I do is written and research-based. I'm happier pulling apart terms than chasing conference stages. On staybet-au.com, I work as the main analyst and editor for our casino guides and reviews, including in-depth coverage of StayCasino's Australia-targeted frontends and similar offshore brands that a lot of Australian players end up using.

Some examples of how my work shows up on this site include:

• The explanatory content you'll see wherever we talk about how Curaçao licensing (including Antillephone N.V. licence 8048/JAZ2019-015) affects Australian players using brands accessed via staybet-au.com, and what that licence does and doesn't realistically cover if something goes wrong.
• The breakdowns of wagering requirements, game restrictions and bonus structures across our various bonus offers and promotions, where I try to show the numbers behind the marketing claims so you can judge for yourself whether an offer is worth a deposit.
• The step-by-step explanations of AUD deposit and withdrawal processes in the casino payment methods area, including common friction points like ID checks, card declines and bank processing times for Aussie accounts.
• The guidance on limits, self-exclusion and support services collected in our responsible gaming tools section, which pulls together practical ways to keep gambling in the "entertainment spend" bucket instead of letting it creep into your regular budget.

I've chosen not to chase industry awards, media appearances or conference speaking spots; I'd rather put that energy into writing guides that a cautious Australian player can actually rely on. I'm not on any operator payroll or part of industry-funded groups. That's deliberate - it keeps my reviews blunt.

5. Mission and Values

Every piece I write starts from a simple question: if I were explaining this casino to a mate or a family member in Sydney, what would I want them to know before they deposit a single dollar of their own money? That keeps the focus on real budgets, real risks and realistic expectations, instead of chasing big-win fairy tales.

From that starting point, a few core values guide my work:

• Unbiased, player-first reviews: If a site has issues - slow withdrawals, confusing bonus rules, vague licensing, aggressive marketing - my reviews say so plainly. If an offshore operator like Hollycorn N.V. is not licensed in Australia, that fact is front and centre rather than buried in a footer or lost in marketing copy.
• Responsible gambling advocacy: I treat online gambling as paid entertainment, not a way to earn money or "invest". Wherever it makes sense, I point readers towards tools like deposit limits, loss limits, time-outs and self-exclusion. On the responsible gaming page I go into warning signs and ways to pull back. I'd much rather you set limits early than wait until you're stressed about money or hiding losses.
• Clear warnings about risk: Casino games always favour the house over the long run. That's just how they're built. For me, it's essential to be direct about that: casino games are not a side hustle, not a savings plan and not a reliable source of income. They're a form of entertainment with risky expenses attached, and I write with that in mind.
• Transparency about affiliate relationships: When this site earns a commission for referring players to a casino, that doesn't change how I assess the site. My job is to explain any commercial relationships, then judge the casino on what it actually does for Australian users: safety, clarity and fairness based on evidence, not promises.
• Fact-checking and regular updates: Casino terms, bonus offers and licensing details change, sometimes quietly. I regularly revisit key brands (including the AU-facing StayCasino domains accessed through staybet-au.com) to re-check terms, licence status and payment options, updating our content where needed so older reviews don't mislead new readers.
• Legal and ethical boundaries: I'm not here to tell anyone to dodge Aussie gambling laws or play where they shouldn't. Everything I write is for information only, not legal or financial advice, and if gambling is starting to mess with your finances, work or relationships I strongly suggest talking to a professional, not just another casino review site.

6. Regional Expertise - Focus on Australia

I live in Sydney, so I look at sites the same way you probably do - as an Australian trying to make sense of mostly offshore casinos. That local point of view shapes every review and guide I put together here, from the examples I use to the things I choose to worry about.

I assume you're dealing with local banks, Aussie pay cycles and the kind of internet that drops out when it rains, not some perfect global setup. I keep that in mind when I talk about deposit methods, withdrawal times and what happens when ACMA blocks yet another domain.

Some parts of my AU-specific experience include:

• Understanding of AU gambling laws: I follow how the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 applies to real-money online casinos and how ACMA enforces it through ISP blocking and other measures. In reviews of offshore brands like StayCasino's Australia-facing frontend that you might reach via staybet-au.com, I clearly point out that they run under a Curaçao licence (via Hollycorn N.V.) rather than any Australian licence, and what that means if you end up in a dispute.
• Local payment preferences and banking realities: I judge casinos partly on how well they fit Australian banking habits - card deposits, bank transfers, e-wallets and sometimes crypto. When popular local methods such as POLi or PayID are missing, I don't pretend it's no big deal; I talk through realistic alternatives and any extra friction they create.
• Cultural attitudes toward gambling: In Australia, gambling is everywhere - from the pub to the races - and it causes real harm for some people. That mix shapes my tone: casinos can be a laugh, but I put risk and rules ahead of hype, and I'm not interested in dressing up loss-chasing as a success story.
• Network of local informational sources: I stay independent of operators, but I keep an ear out in local player communities, consumer info channels and public regulator communications. Those perspectives help me compare how offshore casinos present themselves versus how they actually behave for Australians when it comes to withdrawals, KYC checks and complaints.

7. Personal Touch

When I do play online, I treat it like a night at the movies or the footy. For example, I'll set aside a set amount before I log in, play until it's gone, then close the tab - no topping up, even if I feel like I'm "due" for a win. My simple rule is that if I wouldn't feel okay dropping that amount on a night out in Sydney, I don't dump it into a casino account either.

If you notice you're breaking your own rules often, chasing losses, hiding your play from people close to you, sneaking in spins at work or feeling sick about how much you owe, that's a sign to pull back. The site's responsible gaming resources page goes into warning signs and support options in more depth, and I'd strongly suggest using those tools as soon as gambling stops feeling light and fun.

8. Work Examples on staybet-au.com

Most of what you read on staybet-au.com is either written by me or edited by me to match the standards I've talked about above. You can see my fingerprints most clearly in:

• The explanatory sections on bonus structures and wagering requirements within our various casino bonuses & promotions, where I break down dense terms into practical, AU-focused advice using everyday deposit examples rather than theoretical maths.
• The detailed walk-throughs of deposit and withdrawal options in our payment method guides, including notes on which methods seem to work best for Aussies in my experience, and roughly how long cash-outs have taken for me and readers who write in.
• The guidance on setting limits, understanding risk and finding professional help in our responsible gaming resources page, which brings together information on self-exclusion tools, local helplines and online support services that real Australians can use.
• The explanations of mobile browser play and native app alternatives in our mobile apps and casino on-the-go content, written with common Aussie devices and data plans in mind rather than assuming everyone has perfect 5G and the latest flagship phone.
• The straight answers to common questions in our online casino faq for Australian players, where I cover things like ACMA blocking, mirror domains, offshore licensing and realistic expectations around bonuses and payouts without sugar-coating the downsides.

Across these sections - and in detailed brand reviews, including those covering StayCasino's AU-facing frontends reached through staybet-au.com - my role is to be honest about what you're getting into. At the end of the day, I can't pick a casino for you or promise a profit. What I can do is point out how each site is built, the good and the ugly, so you're choosing with your eyes open and you see the awkward bits before you hand over your card details.

9. Contact Information

If you have questions about something I've written, spot an error, or want to suggest a topic that would help Australian players handle offshore casinos more safely, you can reach me through the site's contact us form. Messages sent through that form go straight to my editorial inbox, and I check them regularly as part of staying accountable and easy to reach.

I don't post my personal email publicly, but I do read and act on messages that come through the contact form - they often highlight things I've missed. Feedback from Aussie players is usually the first hint a casino has changed something. I genuinely appreciate those messages, even when they point out my slip-ups.

Last updated: November 2025. This article is an independent editorial review written for information purposes only and is not an official casino page or communication from any operator.