The NSW Independent Casino Commission imposed AU$10 million in penalties on The Star Sydney and required the company to reserve a further AU$5 million for financial-crime technology improvements.
The NICC said the outcome was part of four disciplinary matters reviewed after investigations by Liquor and Gaming NSW were referred to the commission.
According to NICC, the breaches were detected through the casino’s remediation work and subsequent investigations connected to the Bell inquiries, and some matters were self-reported by The Star.
The regulator said the responsible-gambling failures included letting patrons exceed mandatory break limits and allowing an excluded customer to re-enter the property repeatedly.
NICC also identified time-play threshold contraventions, including instances where patrons were permitted to gamble for more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period, and in more serious cases for more than 36 hours straight.
Other breaches involved comp dollars or casino rewards points, which NICC said could be converted so patrons could use rewards points to reimburse airfares or other travel expenses.
On financial-crime risk operations, reporting said the disciplinary matters included failures in The Star’s Customer Risk Rating Model, Enhanced Customer Due Diligence for high-risk patrons, and Ongoing Customer Due Diligence.
In some instances described by NICC, the casino failed to properly assess a customer’s risk of involvement with criminal activity, including money laundering and terrorism financing.
The Star said the NICC allowed it to pay the penalties progressively up until 30 June 2027, while continuing to invest in its technology uplift.
Reporting also indicated The Star Sydney’s casino licence remained suspended, while the property continued to operate under an NICC-appointed manager, with one report saying Nick Weeks oversaw operations until 30 September 2026.
NICC said the enforceable undertaking addressed specific operational failures to be rectified for ongoing compliance, and noted that technology upgrades it expects to improve detection of financial-crime risks included “carded play.”
