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The AU$3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf Brisbane development, while ambitious, had added to the company’s financing obligations. At the heart of Star’s downfall was a culture that prioritised revenue — particularly from high-rolling VIP and junket operators — over compliance with Australia’s strict anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws. Regulatory failures, a crippling debt load, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and intensifying competition all played roles. Players who had not redeemed accumulated points by the time any formal programme changes were announced may have seen their value adjusted or transferred to a successor scheme. Players with outstanding credits were encouraged to contact Star directly if they held balances at the time of the crisis. For players with tournament buy-in credits, promotional balances, or funds lodged in electronic gaming accounts, the situation was less clear-cut. Unlike regulated online gambling in some jurisdictions, Australian land-based casinos do not typically hold large pools of ring-fenced player funds.
This is separate from venue-based exclusion programs for pubs, clubs, and casinos. Registration is free and blocks you for a minimum of three months up to a lifetime. To self-exclude from all licensed Australian online and phone betting services, you must register with BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register.
A second Bell Inquiry was commissioned, and its 2024 report found that Star had still not achieved suitability in NSW. Star was found to have allowed customers linked to organised crime to gamble, including individuals already excluded by NSW Police. Australia’s casino regulators moved decisively against Star Entertainment across both of its major operating states. 💎 100% bonus up to $750 + 150 free spins when you join Australia’s best real pokies online real money australia casino alternative to Star Casino Introduction to the regulatory framework and licensing for casinos in NSW.
The Bergin Inquiry’s key recommendation for a standalone casino regulator is well on its way to becoming a reality, with temporary arrangements put in place to support the new structure. Poker rooms exist at all flagship properties. Bergin (NSW), Finkelstein (Vic), Owen (Qld) — three royal-commission-equivalent inquiries forced sweeping changes at Crown and The Star. If you’ve heard about Australian casinos in the last five years, you’ve heard about regulatory pain. Crown and The Star control Australia’s metro casinos — but recent regulatory upheavals reshaped both.
While Star’s casinos continue to operate under Bally’s ownership, the instability of recent years has prompted many to explore alternatives. When regulators finally acted — following investigative journalism that exposed Crown Resorts first, then focused attention on Star — the company was found to have been running these practices for years. Star’s loyalty programme — Star Rewards — allows members to accumulate points through gaming, dining, and hotel stays.
In any administration scenario, these amounts would have been treated as unsecured creditor claims, sitting behind secured lenders, employees, and regulatory creditors. The company used Australia’s “safe harbour” provisions — designed to allow directors to pursue restructuring without personal liability for insolvent trading — while racing to secure a refinancing deal. For much of early 2025, the spectre of voluntary administration loomed over Star Entertainment. Queensland’s inquiry mirrored these findings for the Star Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane properties.
This is prohibited by the federal Interactive Gambling Act 2001, and these sites offer no consumer protection. What you can expect from a licensed site’s offers in Queensland. Verify with the local regulator and your ad-platform account manager before launching. Programmatic networks must enforce distance buffers around school properties and youth centers. Commercial runs are legal but heavily restricted by ACMA standards. Native architectures must integrate robust geo-tracking software to respect federal land exclusions. Unlicensed sites may take deposits but offer no consumer protection if a payout dispute arises.
Investigators found major failings in AML controls, VIP oversight, and corporate governance. The Star Sydney has remained under external supervision and government oversight — a status expected to continue through at least September 2025. Star Casino regulatory action in both NSW and Queensland was triggered by concurrent inquiries that exposed deep systemic failures. The findings were damning, and the penalties were substantial, though licence suspensions were repeatedly deferred to give the company time to remediate. With its $15M NICC fine instalment obligations, mounting legal costs, and a pending AUSTRAC penalty potentially reaching AU$400 million, the arithmetic was brutal. By the final quarter of 2024, the company was spending AU$107 million in a single three-month period while only holding AU$79 million in the bank. Mandatory carded play requirements, introduced as part of post-inquiry reforms, reduced the casino floor’s appeal to certain segments of players.
The practical advice for affected members was — and remains — to redeem rewards points as soon as practicable when a company is in financial distress, and to review communications from Star and Bally’s as the ownership transition bedded down. However, members were advised to stay alert to any changes in programme terms, as new ownership frequently triggers a review and redesign of loyalty structures. Most players exchange cash or EFTPOS payments for chips at the point of play, meaning there is generally little risk of a deposit balance being trapped in an insolvency event for the typical player. In Star’s case, because voluntary administration was ultimately avoided, employees were not required to access this scheme, and casino operations continued without interruption. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli made clear that the government’s priority was the thousands of workers at the Gold Coast and Queen’s Wharf, not the company’s shareholders or executive structure.