Star Entertainment Group has been fined by the Queensland Office of Liquor and Gaming for accepting credit card deposits and sending promotional material to self-excluding gamblers.
According to details tendered by Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath, Star entered a guilty plea with the Magistrates Court in March of this year. This was in relation to 11 offences of which it has been found guilty. The company has now been ordered to pay a fine of AU$140,000 (€83,834) and court costs of AU$3,250 (€1,946).
Seven of the charges are in relation to the use of credit cards to place wagers of more than AU$170,000 (€101,821) between 2017 and 2022. This was due to insufficient controls at EFTPOS machines which allowed customers to use their credit cards to make deposits into their casino accounts. This contravenes local gambling regulations stating that credit cards must not be used for gambling purposes or to fund gambling accounts.
The remaining four charges were made in relation to the company’s targeting of gamblers who were self-excluding or banned from its casinos. According to court documents, the regulator stated that it had previously warned Star on multiple occasions about targeting self-excluding gamblers.
Speaking of the decision Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath said:
“Allowing credit betting and distributing promotional material to excluded persons are not acceptable ways for casinos to operate in Queensland.
The authority to operate a casino is a privilege. In return, the community expects The Star, at an absolute minimum, to effectively control risks, such as gambling harm and money laundering.
Ensuring public confidence in our casinos is a priority. That’s why we will continue to strengthen and enforce our casino laws.
The regulator is closely monitoring all casinos operating in Queensland and will take action if they fall short of their requirements.”
The fine is the latest in a string of issues faced by Star throughout Australia. In October of last year the company was fined AU$100 million (€64 million) for license breaches that included allowing money laundering to take place at its Sydney casino.
The company is also facing a lawsuit filed by Australian law firm Maurice Blackburn Lawyers on behalf of shareholders of the Star Entertainment Group (Star Casino). According to the firm, the class action alleges that Star breached disclosure obligations and acted against the best interests of the shareholders.
Image credit: John / CC BY-SA 2.0
Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.