Star Entertainment crime link claims to be ‘well considered’ by Qld probe

The Deputy Premier has labelled allegations of organised crime links to a major partner of the $3.6bn Queen’s Wharf development as “concerning”.

Queensland gaming officials travelled overseas to investigate a major partner of the state’s $3.6bn Queen’s Wharf casino project and found no evidence of “unsuitable” connections at the time, the government has confirmed.

But fresh revelations alleging conglomerate Chow Tai Fook, controlled by the Cheng family in Hong Kong, were “incredibly concerning”, Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman said, and would be looked at by the Office of Liquor and Gaming.

Chow Tai Fook has a 25 per cent stake in the multibillion-dollar Queen’s Wharf project, which is due to open next year.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Picture: Liam Kidston

The Australian and the ABC in recent days unearthed allegations the conglomerate had decades-old links to Macau gambling boss Stanley Ho and in turn his alleged links to triads.

The revelations prompted calls for the state’s inquiry into gambling giant The Star Entertainment Group’s casino operations to be broadened.

It comes as the inquiry, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Robert Gotterson, holds its first substantial hearings from Tuesday to look into the operation of Star’s Queensland casinos, advice on the ongoing suitability of Star to hold a casino licence, and enhanced regulation.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles on Monday signalled the government’s view was the inquiry’s terms were sufficiently broad while Ms Fentiman said “any ongoing concerns about Star or their associates” should be referred to the independent review.

“Recent allegations raised are incredibly concerning and any new information that comes to light will be investigated by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation, which undertakes ongoing suitability and compliance checks into Casino licensees,” she said.

The Queen’s Wharf construction site in Brisbane’s CBD.

Mr Miles said he was sure the current terms of reference would be “sufficient to be able to get to the bottom of the concerns that have been raised” and that he was sure “those matters will be well considered by the inquiry.”

It has also been confirmed the state government’s own gaming officials, in the months after the 2015 Palaszczuk government election win, headed to Hong Kong to meet with key associates of Chow Tai Fook.

But the “comprehensive and thorough” investigation turned up no evidence the conglomerate had associations that would “render it unsuitable” for a Queensland casino licence.

Star Entertainment Group, in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange, said it “does not consider it appropriate to comment at this time” due to the ongoing inquiries in Queensland and NSW.

The company’s rocky 2022 included a net loss of $199m, according to its financial year results released on Monday.

But the recovery was under way, with domestic revenue on the Gold Coast up 26 per cent and Brisbane domestic revenue up 18 per cent.

The company’s top priority for the year ahead was its “commitment to demonstrating suitability” to hold casino licences in NSW and Queensland.