Star Entertainment’s Queensland License Suspension Delayed Once Again
Star Entertainment has been granted more time to demonstrate that it is fit to operate land-based casinos in Queensland by the Australian state.
Star Entertainment license suspension pushed back to December.
The casino operator was sanctioned in December 2022 due to a number of failings and handed a license suspension together with a fine of AU$100 million. The sanctions came after an investigation in Star Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane, which found that it was unsuitable to hold a license.
Seven Month Extension Awarded
Star Entertainment was initially given a year, until 1 December 2023, to resolve the issues uncovered by the investigation. This first deadline was then pushed back to 31 May this year after the company submitted a remediation plan to fix the issues. The plan detailed 640 milestones across 15 workstreams that are to be implemented over several years.
Now the deadline has been pushed back to 20 December this year by Queensland’s attorney-general Yvette D’Ath. The deadline extension comes after the launch of the Second Bell inquiry in February that is looking at Star’s operations in New South Wales. Authorities in Queensland wish to see its conclusions before reaching any decisions.
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Several Failings Uncovered in Queensland
Many of the failings found in Queensland were similar to those identified by Adam Bell SC’s report into Star Entertainment in New South Wales, where the company was also found unsuitable to hold a license.
One of the biggest problems was Star’s “concerted effort” to hide the purpose of China UnionPay transactions from banks and regulators in contravention of Chinese capital flight laws. The company also encouraged people with links to criminal organizations to gamble, going against the advice of police commissioners.
A number of social responsibility failings were found relating to anti-money laundering and combatting terrorism financing. Furthermore, there were also concerns about the operator’s relationship with junket operators.
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