The New South Wales Independent Casino Commission (NICC) on Friday, 25 September 2026, extended the suspension of The Star’s Sydney casino licence. The venue will remain under external management until 30 June 2027. External manager Nick Weeks keeps his role, and the casino continues to operate its gaming facilities while the licence suspension stays in place.
NICC Chief Commissioner Philip Crawford acknowledged that The Star has come a long way in addressing the issues that led to the suspension in 2022. However, the regulator still has concerns about the company’s governance, leadership and corporate culture. According to Crawford, The Star Entertainment Group continues to experience problems that affect each of its properties. Among the unresolved issues, the regulator named critical leadership positions and the outcome of civil proceedings brought by Australia’s financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC in the Federal Court. As part of those proceedings, the court found that two former senior executives of the group breached the Corporations Act 2001 through failures in managing and reporting money-laundering and criminal-activity risks.
The casino lost its independent operating rights in October 2022 following the findings of the Bell inquiry, and was fined AU$100 million at the time. Since then, the NICC has extended the suspension several times. The licence can be returned at any point if the casino shows that its remediation has been properly embedded in the business. Earlier this year, Crown Sydney and The Star Sydney were fined a combined AU$2.25 million after a 16-year-old repeatedly accessed their gaming floors using fraudulent identification documents.
For operators, the takeaway is clear: a fine does not close the matter. The regulator looks beyond individual fixes at how durable compliance, AML controls and leadership are, and can keep a venue under external supervision for years until it is satisfied with the result.