Australia’s Star faces likely casino licence pull or $67 million fine for regulatory breaches

(Reuters) – The casino commission in Australia’s biggest state said on Friday it may cancel Star Entertainment’s Sydney licence or fine it up to A$100 million ($67.2 million) after an inquiry found breaches of anti-money laundering protocols.

The New South Wales Independent Casino Commission (NICC) has served the casino giant a disciplinary notice that relates to four significant breaches detailed in a second report.

Earlier this year, the NICC launched a second investigation into the Star on concerns that it had not sufficiently addressed its cultural shortcomings after being exposed for major anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism failures in 2022.

The breaches mentioned in the notice pertain to “a cash fraud against Star, a failure to run source of wealth checks on hundreds of members flagged as high risk, and fraudulent guest welfare entries that put already vulnerable customers at higher risk of harm,” the NICC said in a statement.

Star Entertainment’s licence to operate its lucrative Sydney casino was suspended in October 2022. ($1 = 1.4872 Australian dollars)