Star Entertainment pleads guilty to casino law breaches in Queensland
Star Entertainment has admitted seven breaches of casino laws in Queensland, where it’s building its $5bn Queens Wharf resort.
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Star Entertainment has pleaded guilty to seven charges of breaking Queensland casino laws at its Brisbane and Gold Coast gaming resorts.
The state’s Attorney-General and Justice Minister, Shannon Fentiman, said the charges related to purchasing of gambling chips with a credit card.
The offences occurred between June 2017 and December 2018, and as late as in March and April of last year.
The latest offending came as the NSW casino regulator began public hearings of a royal commission-style inquiry into the company, which it ultimately deemed not fit to hold a casino licence in the state.
A similar inquiry followed in Queensland – where it was also found not suitable to hold a casino licence after it showed a “lively disregard for the law”.
Ms Fentiman said the Queensland government was committed to ensuring Queensland casinos were operated lawfully, ethically and in a way that maintained the highest standards of integrity and public confidence.
Sentencing has been set for June 2.
Last week, Star raised $800m from investors, including from pokies baron Bruce Mathieson who has amassed a near 10 per cent stake after tipping in about $80m into the company.
It also secured another $80m from its joint venture partners, Chow Tai Fook and Far East Consortium, despite their links to convicted junket boss Alvin Chau.
A Macau court sentenced Mr Chau – whose Suncity junket ran a “casino within a casino” at Star Sydney, flouting money laundering laws – to 18 years’ jail last month after he was found guilty of being the kingpin of a criminal syndicate and illegal gaming empire.
Star has partnered with Chow Tai Fook and Far East Consortium on more than $5bn worth of developments, including Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf.
Star chief executive Robbie Cooke last month said: “I haven’t heard anything that suggests that they’re not appropriate partners for us.”
It followed Star’s half-year loss, including a write-down of $988m on its flagship Sydney casino after the NSW government announced proposed changes to lift the state’s casino tax rate.
Originally published as Star Entertainment pleads guilty to casino law breaches in Queensland
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