The Star Makes C-Suite Appointments, Reports Systems Disruption

Australian casino and hospitality leader The Star Entertainment Group announced new appointments to its C-suite. In an ASX update, the gambling company announced that it has appointed an interim group chief financial officer, as well as a new chief executive officer of it’s the Star Sydney property.

As per the announcement, Neale O’Connell will now serve as interim group CFO of the Star. In the meantime, Janelle Campbell will step in as The Star Sydney’s new CEO. Originally announced in March and January, respectively, the two appointments have now been enacted following the securing of all regulatory approvals.

Ms Campbell, The Star Entertainment Group added, will also join The Star Sydney’s board of directors.

Star Will Temporarily Turn Off Its Electronic Machines

In the meantime, the gambling company also revealed that a number of planned updates to The Star’s systems have been disrupted because of system performance issues. The issues were identified in post-upgrade testing, which resulted in the decision to temporarily turn off all  Electronic Gaming Machines and Electronic Table Games in each of The Star’s three properties.

The machines will remain turned off from 10 pm on July 13 until the issue has been resolved, the company announced in an ASX update released on July 15. The company added that the decision is in line with all relevant regulations and highlights its commitment to safer gambling procedures.

The updates in question were related to The Star’s preparation for the introduction of cashless gaming.

The operator added that it is currently working with its partner Konami on addressing the operational issues. In the meantime, Treasury Brisbane, The Star Gold Coast and The Star Sydney remain open with table games, restaurants, bars and entertainment available.

A Fraudster Attempted to Blackmail The Star

In other news, a man attempted to blackmail the leading operator earlier this year, prompting immediate legal action from The Star. The case involved a person with the AB initials who had submitted an application for a job at The Star Sydney.

The man had, curiously, omitted details regarding his existing criminal record in his application. As it turned out, the man had, in reality, a history of car theft and fraud.

After the man’s application was rejected, he tried to blackmail the operator by threatening to release sensitive customer data unless they fired his former partner. Instead of complying with this request, the company’s HR team contacted the authorities and filed a proceeding against the extortionist.