SYDNEY – The New South Wales Independent Casino Commission has fined The Star Sydney $10 million and ordered the casino to set aside an additional $5 million to upgrade technology used in its financial‑crime risk systems, following thousands of compliance breaches uncovered by state investigators.
The penalties stem from four disciplinary matters referred to the NICC after Liquor & Gaming NSW identified widespread violations at the casino between 2018 and 2025.
Breakdown of Penalties
The NICC issued the following sanctions:
- $1.5 million for allowing customers to gamble continuously without mandated breaks between May 2024 and April 2025.
- $3 million for permitting the conversion of casino reward points to cash for at least 1,898 patrons between December 2018 and November 2023.
- $500,000 for failing to prevent an excluded patron from entering the casino on nine occasions between February and May 2024.
- $5 million for systemic failures in financial‑crime risk operations between July 2023 and September 2025, plus an enforceable undertaking requiring The Star to place an additional $5 million into a remediation fund to strengthen its technological capabilities.
NICC Chief Commissioner Philip Crawford said many of the breaches occurred before the casino implemented more robust remediation measures, including technology upgrades such as mandatory carded play.
“While these disciplinary matters are disappointing, we have seen considerable progress at The Star under their new leadership,” Crawford said. “The technological uplift and revised remediation workstreams have made a materially significant improvement.”
Still, he said the casino’s “recent poor compliance history” warranted substantial penalties.
Regulators Stress Coordinated Oversight
Liquor & Gaming NSW Executive Director of Regulatory Operations Dimitri Argeres said the case underscores the importance of coordinated enforcement.
“Liquor & Gaming NSW undertook extensive investigations into a large number of non‑compliance issues at The Star and referred these matters to the NSW Independent Casino Commission,” Argeres said. “This outcome reflects a coordinated regulatory approach.”
Many of the breaches were detected through The Star’s ongoing remediation program following the Bell inquiries, and some were self‑reported by the casino.
Details of the Violations
Investigators found numerous instances of patrons gambling for more than 12 hours in a 24‑hour period, with some playing for more than 36 hours straight. Regulators also cited improper conversion of “comp dollars,” allowing patrons to use reward points to reimburse travel expenses.
Financial‑crime failures included deficiencies in the casino’s Customer Risk Rating Model, inadequate enhanced due diligence on high‑risk patrons and lapses in ongoing monitoring. In some cases, The Star failed to properly assess whether customers posed risks related to money laundering or terrorism financing.
