The NSW casino regulator has fined The Star Sydney a total of AU$10 million (US$7.2 million) for historical financial crime and responsible gaming risk failures following an investigation by Liquor and Gaming NSW.
The Star has also been ordered to set aside a further AU$5 million (US$3.6 million) to strengthen the technology surrounding its financial crime risk management operations.
According to information from the NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC), the fines come after Liquor and Gaming NSW referred a number of historical matters for disciplinary action. These included:
- Allowing customers to continuously gamble without a break longer than the prescribed time limits between May 2024 and April 2025
- Allowing the conversion of casino reward points to cash involving at least 1,898 patrons between December 2018 and November 2023
- Failure to prevent entry by an excluded patron on nine occasions between February and May 2024
- Systemic failures in financial crime risk operations between July 2023 and September 2025
This is despite US casino operator Bally’s Corp and pub mogul Bruce Mathieson’s Investment Holdings Pty Ltd assuming a combined 61% stake in the company late last year – a move aimed at not only providing a financial lifeline but also bolstering the company’s governance.
NICC Chief Commissioner Philip Crawford acknowledged that the beaches had primarily occurred before more systematic remediation processes, such as mandatory carded play, had been implemented.
“While these disciplinary matters are disappointing, we have seen considerable progress at The Star under their new leadership,” Crawford said.
“The NICC is confident that the revised remediation workstreams, the expertise of Bally’s Corporation and the technological uplift that has taken place since these breaches occurred have made a materially significant improvement in The Star’s remediation progress.
“While we are optimistic about The Star’s remediation progress, the casino’s recent poor compliance history has also factored into the Commission’s decision.
“Imposing these fines along with the enforceable undertaking reiterates the seriousness with which the NICC considers any breaches that leave customers vulnerable to gambling harm or casinos vulnerable to criminal infiltration.”
According to the NICC, many of the breaches were detected through the casino’s ongoing remediation program and subsequent investigations stemming from the Bell inquiries, and some were self-reported by The Star.
It added that a significant number of the breaches of time play thresholds related to patrons being permitted to gamble for more than 12-hours in a 24-hour period. In the more serious cases, patrons were able to gamble for more than 36 hours straight.
Contraventions surrounding the conversion of casino or “comp” dollars resulted in patrons being able to use their rewards points to reimburse their airfares or other travel expenses.
The systemic failures in financial crime risk operations included breaches in The Star’s Customer Risk Rating Model (CRAM), Enhanced Customer Due Diligence (ECDD) on high-risk patrons and Ongoing Customer Due Diligence.
In some instances, the casino was found to have failed to properly assess a customer’s risk of being involved with criminal activity, including money laundering and terrorism financing, the NICC said.
Bruce Mathieson Jnr, Group CEO & Managing Director of The Star, said, “We take our obligations to abide by gaming regulations seriously and appreciate that the NICC has allowed us to pay these penalties progressively up until 30 June 2027 while we continue to invest in our technology uplift. These events occurred between December 2018 and September 2025 and prior to the commencement of the current leadership.
“We will continue to engage constructively with the NICC in respect of The Star Sydney as we work through our remediation program. I am confident that we are making progress.”
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