Star Entertainment Slapped with Second AU$100M Fine in Australia

Australia’s Star Entertainment Group has received a second AU$100 million fine in less than two months, with the company investigated by the Queensland state government, and found in breach of a number of laws.

Star to Pay Another AU$100M Fine in Australia

The new fine was announced by AG Shannon Fentiman on Friday, which considered the findings of the Gotterson Review and the probe into The Star Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane, both owned by Star Entertainment Group, with the Group found unsuitable to operate the casinos with a regular license.

This is why the latest fine – which should be paid over the next 12 months – comes with a prerequisite that moving forward, the Star’s operations in the state should be overseen by an independent special manager. Star’s Queensland casino licenses will be suspended for 90 days, but the ruling is deferred until December 1, 2023. The previous fine was issued in New South Wales with a special manager appointed in the state.

This, Fentiman says, should give the Group sufficient time to overhaul its managerial structure and processes and demonstrate unequivocally that it is committed to following state laws and ensuring that it upholds the highest standards of responsible gambling and lawful behavior.

Fentiman criticized how readily Star Entertainment Group had welcomed excluded gamblers, and the “exorbitant incentives” the Group extended to suspicious customers. Fentiman confirmed that Nicholas Weeks, who is overseeing Star’s operations in New South Wales, will also follow the Group’s progress in Queensland, and said:

Having a special manager that monitors the operations of The Star in both states will ensure they will be looked at as one operating entity and provide consistency across jurisdictions.

Star Entertainment Can Recover in Due Time

Not all is lost, though, says Fentiman, who assures that should Star Entertainment Group show a commitment towards amending the current shortcomings, regulators will act accordingly and assure that all restrictions are lifted. The fine will have to be paid in full, however.

Meanwhile, NSW Independent Casino Commission chief commissioner Philip Crawford was similarly pleased with the development and welcomed the appointment of Weeks as a special manager in both NSW and Queensland.