The Star Sydney has been fined $10 million by the NSW Independent Casino Commission for permitting gamblers to engage in continuous play for more than 36 hours, allowing banned patrons back onto the gaming floor, and converting casino reward points into cash.
Breaches and Penalties
The commission announced the fine on Monday and also ordered the casino to allocate $5 million to enhance monitoring systems for potential money laundering and terrorism financing.
NICC chief commissioner Philip Crawford stated: "While these disciplinary matters are disappointing, we have seen considerable progress at The Star under their new leadership. 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."
Four Categories of Violations
The independent commission grouped the rule violations into four categories, encompassing thousands of incidents. The Star management self-reported some of these incidents as part of its ongoing overhaul.
- Reward Points Conversion: The casino operator was fined $3 million for converting casino reward points into cash at least 1,898 times over a five-year period ending November 2023.
- Excluded Patrons: Nine times in 2024, the casino allowed an excluded patron to return, resulting in a $500,000 fine.
- Excessive Play: For allowing patrons to play longer than legally permitted in 2024 and 2025, the casino was fined $1.5 million. Many breaches involved gambling for more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period, and sometimes individuals gambled for over 36 hours continuously.
- Financial Crime Monitoring Failures: For systemic failures in financial crime risk monitoring, the operator will pay $5 million and has been ordered to set aside an additional $5 million to upgrade detection technology.
Commissioner Crawford noted: "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."
Enforceable Undertaking
The $5 million enforceable undertaking marks the first time the commission has used such powers. Crawford added: "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."
The NSW Independent Casino Commission operates separately from Liquor and Gaming NSW, which provided evidence and referrals for the investigation. Liquor and Gaming regulation director Dimitri Argeres stated that the agency "undertook extensive investigations into a large number of noncompliance issues at The Star."
Background
In 2025, Star Entertainment shareholders accepted a $300 million takeover bid from US gaming giant Bally's Corporation and Australian publican Bruce Mathieson, who together took a majority stake in the company.
The Star has been contacted for comment regarding Monday's fines.
