Star Sydney Admits Shortcomings, Seeks Conditional Casino License Renewal

Although the Star Entertainment Group of Australia acknowledges that it is inappropriate to run the Sydney casino without oversight, they support conditional relicensing.

This comes after a second inquiry that turned out alarming activities, such as schemes to subvert the regulator.

“Deplorable” actions by past executives, such as CEO Robbie Cooke’s threats of “war” with the regulator, were noted by Star’s legal team. Investigations also turned up phony documents and a malfunctioning ATM that permitted $3.2 million in unrecorded transactions.

Star admits these shortcomings but maintains that they are one-off occurrences rather than indicative of a wider trend.
They argue that later leadership transitions—like Cooke’s resignation and the appointment of an outside manager—have remedied past shortcomings.

The report by Commissioner Adam Bell SC, which is anticipated by the end of the month, will now determine Star’s future in Sydney.

The evaluation will determine if Star can operate the casino within certain constraints and win back the regulator’s trust.

See Related Articles: The Star Announces Start of Second Bell Inquiry Hearings

Original Story by: Inside Asian Gaming