Star Entertainment Deemed Unfit to Hold Queensland Casino License

The Queensland division of Star Entertainment Group has been deemed unfit to possess a permit in Queensland following an examination of the company’s operations.

The inquiry, which was disclosed in June, scrutinized a variety of matters and unearthed a series of systematic shortcomings.

The discoveries are generally in line with Adam Bell’s examination into Star Entertainment Group’s activities in New South Wales, which concluded the operator was unfit to hold a permit in the state. While the report itself did not employ this phrasing, the state government did.

“Taking into account the serious and worrying findings of the Gotterson review, and his recommendation on suitability, I have decided that Star Entertainment Group is not suitable to hold a license in Queensland,” the Attorney-General stated.

Some of the particular problems included Star Entertainment Group “deliberately” misinforming banks and regulatory bodies about the purpose of UnionPay transactions, in violation of Chinese capital flight regulations. Star Entertainment Group was also discovered to have sought out individuals with connections to criminal organizations and encouraged them to wager, contrary to direct counsel from the Police Commissioner. In one instance, Star Entertainment Group even presented a $50,000 Rolex timepiece to one such individual to entice him to gamble.

In the meantime, the inquiry also uncovered the company’s deficiencies in corporate social responsibility, significant gaps in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing procedures, and serious worries about the company’s past dealings with high-roller operators.

Fentima outlined the subsequent steps for Star Entertainment, which might respond before facing penalties.

She stated: “According to the law, once formally deemed unfit, Star Entertainment will have the opportunity to respond to the finding through a formal process.”

“Following the formal process, the government will take a range of corrective actions, including fines, suspension or cancellation of the license, and as Mr. Gotterson suggested, the appointment of a special administrator, as was done in Victoria.”

The report also includes 12 recommendations for both the casino and the state government to ensure that similar incidents do not occur again. These recommendations include amending the Casino Control Act to allow for the appointment of special administrators, having operators bear the cost of regular investigations of all Queensland casinos, regulatory fees for all licensees as a condition of their license, strengthening measures to prevent players with criminal connections from gambling, and new social responsibility measures.

Proposed social responsibility measures include implementing cardless gaming, cashless gaming, mandatory player limits, entertainment and break systems, and player data collection.

The administration will raise the highest fine for violating regulations to $100 million. They stated they concur with the suggestions made by Gotterson in his report.

The enterprises that operate the gambling establishments indicated they will collaborate with the government on future actions.

Star Entertainment Group declared they are reviewing the report and will continue to cooperate with the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR).

The government announced they will implement measures based on the recommendations.