IN THE NEWS – CASINOS

Star Entertainment Keeps Sydney Casino Open, Gets Fined Again

Star Entertainment has been fined again by the NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC) but is allowed to continue operating gaming machines and live dealer table games at The Star Sydney. The Star has agreed to pay a $15 million penalty after the NICC determined that the company remains noncompliant regarding regulatory obedience.

After the 2022 inquiry, Star was allowed to continue operating the Sydney casino, but under a government-appointed manager. Star was ordered to undergo many remedial measures to bring the casino into regulatory compliance and was fined AU$100 million.

Two years later, the follow-up review from the NICC found that more work is needed to gain suitability and regain full control of the company’s gaming permit.

Crown Melbourne Fined AU$2M for Allowing Self-Excluded Persons Casino Access

Crown Melbourne has been fined AU$2 million (US$1.34 million) after government-appointed monitors detected the casino allowed at least 242 people who had previously self-excluded themselves from the property’s gaming floor access to its gaming machines and table games.

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission said the violations occurred between October 2023 and May 2024.

While Crown’s safeguards in preventing self-excluded individuals from accessing the casino’s pokies and tables proved inadequate, the chief gaming regulator recognised that many of the individuals who unlawfully bypassed the entry gates went to “considerable lengths to avoid detection and break their exclusion requirements.”

SkyCity Adelaide to pay $13.1m casino duty after High Court ruling

The High Court of Australia has ordered SkyCity Entertainment Group to pay an additional $13.1m in casino duty to the Treasurer of South Australia over a dispute about loyalty points and gaming revenue.

The dispute was over the interpretation of the Casino Duty Agreement dated 27 October 1999, regarding the “treatment of loyalty points converted to gaming machine play for the purpose of calculating casino duty at the SkyCity Adelaide casino”.

In a statement, the operator said the High Court ruled against SkyCity, confirming the South Australian Court of Appeal’s interpretation of the agreement of “credits on gaming machines arising from the conversion of loyalty points, when played by customers, are to be included in gaming revenue for the purpose of calculating casino duty at the SkyCity Adelaide casino”.

JPMorgan acquires stake in struggling Australian casino operator Star Entertainment

U.S. banking giant JPMorgan Chase & Co has acquired a 5.47% voting stake in Star Entertainment, becoming a substantial shareholder in the cash-strapped Australian casino operator, according to an exchange filing on Thursday.

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