One of the gambling giants operating in Australia has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of charges of breaching the casino rules in Queensland.
Star Entertainment, which currently operates the Star Gold Coast and the Treasury Casino in Brisbane, faced the charges on December 14th, 2023. As revealed by Attorney General Shannon Fentiman, the charges were associated with the purchase of gambling chips with a credit card, with the gambling operator’s wrongdoings occurring in the period from June 2017 to December 2018, and then from March 2022 to April 2022. The second period was at a time when an investigation into alleged law violations was taking place.
According to reports, Star Entertainment appeared in the Southport magistrates’ court a few days ago, pleading guilty to seven charges under the provisions of the Casino Control Act of 1982.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 2nd, 2023.
As explained by Attorney General Fentiman, the charges related to Section 66 of the aforementioned piece of legislation under which the use of credit cards for purchasing casino chips is not allowed in the state. She noted that the Government of Queensland remains committed to making sure that local casinos are operated in line with the provisions of the state’s gambling laws in an ethical manner and in a way that would maintain public confidence and the highest standards of integrity.
A spokesperson for the gambling company rejected requests to comment saying it would not be appropriate to comment on the matter while the legal action is still in court.
Star Entertainment Pleads Guilty to Seven Charges under Casino Control Act 1982
In December 2022, Star Entertainment was threatened with facing a massive monetary penalty after the Government found it unsuitable to hold its operating permits in Queensland and ordered the Australian gambling giant to get its business in order. The company was given 12 months to do so. If it does not manage to make things right, it would have to pay a monetary fine worth AU$100 million.
Market experts have shared that Star Entertainment’s guilty plea to charges of illegally selling gaming chips to casino patrons by allowing them to pay with their credit cards would only be the latest blow to the company’s reputation. Furthermore, some analysts have noted that, as the Australian gambling giant has already shown on a number of occasions, if it broke the gambling law at two of its casino venues, it probably did the same thing elsewhere.
The gambling operator has now confessed that it allowed some visitors of its Queensland casinos to use their credit cards in order to purchase chips. Star Entertainment faced the allegations that resulted directly from the company’s admission that it manipulated records to make it possible for Chinese casino patrons to use so-called Chinese UnionPay (CUP) cards at the company’s casino floors – something they were not legally allowed to do because CUP cards are not eligible for gambling transactions.
Previously the Australian gambling giant has admitted to using fake hotel accommodation invoices in order to cover up for actual casino chip purchases.
- Author
Olivia Cole
