'Why not?': Star CEO sticks with junket operator Suncity despite alleged criminal links

Chief executive of The Star Entertainment Group Matt Bekier says the casino will continue to partner with Macau junket operator Suncity, despite the group's alleged links to organised crime.

Mr Bekier also said The Star would not be reviewing its use of junkets despite a recent investigation into Crown's use of allegedly criminal-linked junkets.

"We are always looking at policies, and we are always under continuous review with our regulators, so to me, that is not something that we just do because our competitors have done something differently," he said.

When asked why The Star was still using the alleged-crime associated junket group Suncity, Bekier counter-asked: "Why not?"

"Suncity is the largest junket operator in the world...and we work in a very a prescribed and lawful way with junkets that are credible and have been improved, in some states, by the regulators," he said.

An investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed a number of the Crown's junkets were allegedly linked to Asian crime gangs, with Suncity Group chief executive Alvin Chau banned from entering Australia last week by the Home Affairs department.

Crown last Wednesday issued a statement in the form of an advertisement saying reporting by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes was "unbalanced and sensationalised" and based on "exaggerations unsupported connections and outright falsehoods".

Star chief executive Mr Bekier would not comment on the allegations against his competitor but said he felt his business was run in a "very clean and legal" way.

"I feel that what we do is both lawful and is executed in a way that should give us and our investors confidence that we are doing right," he said. "We have a dedicated team of compliance officers who track everything...we are being audited, like the banks and everyone else, so I feel pretty comfortable that we are doing a good job."

During a panel discussion at Asia Briefing Live, a forum that sees senior business leaders, analysts and policymakers discuss Asia’s geopolitics, Mr Bekier explained how gamblers that had "dodgy funds" would not seek to money launder on Australian shores.

"If you come to Australia, you need to get a visa, you need to get cleared you need to book the trip in advance ... and you need to explain where your money comes from," he said. "You are certainly not going to go to Australia. There’s a lot of other places from Moscow to Cambodia where you can do that, you’re not going down to Australia."

Suncity is the largest junket operator in the world...and we work in a very a prescribed and lawful way with junkets that are credible and have been improved, in some states, by the regulators

Star chief executive Matt Bekier

Mr Bekier said that The Star's marketing was instead an "affluent market that is seeking a tourism experience".

"They come from a week, they play golf they get on the harbour, they take photos of the bridge they bring their families and their entourage, it’s a tourism experience, yes they like to gamble as part of the experience, but it cannot be the only reason," he said.

Using the point to discuss The Star's half-a-billion dollar plans to build a luxury hotel on its current Pyrmont site, Mr Bekier said the development was an "important asset" to complete that tourism experience for gamblers.

"The thing with our proposal is that it’s not dead yet," he said. "We haven’t had the same support from the government that we would have liked ... this country needs more five star hotels."