Depending on thedecision taken by NSW regulators,similar external management could also be applied to Star’s Sydney operations — handing over “full control and responsibility for the business of the casino operator”.
“It may be that it is appropriate,to promote efficiency of oversight and to avoid unnecessary inconsistency,that the same special manager be appointed in both states,” Gotterson wrote.
The probes were sparked by reporting from60 Minutes and this masthead last year. But the government has been criticised for not widening the investigation intonon-Star casinos facing questions in north Queensland.
Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman said she had considered the findings,including one left open to her by Gotterson about whether Star was suitable to hold a casino licence in the state,and believed it was not.
“Everything is on the table in terms of options available to government once we’ve made a determination about the penalty,” she said.
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Star operates The Star Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane. The latter’s licence is set to transfer to the Queen’s Wharf casino and resort when it opensin the second half of 2023.
The report makes 12 recommendations including mandatory identity cards for casino gambling,a move from cash for transactions of more than $1000,along with time and pre-set loss limits for pokies.
All have been accepted and some,calling for tighter regulation measures,would be rolled intolegislative changes already under way,Fentiman said. Slated fines of up to $50 million for breaches will be doubled.
However,the Attorney-General would not be drawn on whether the pokie changes should be extended to pubs and clubs.
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Speaking after the report’s release,Fentiman declined to detail what penalty might await the operator,saying she did not want to pre-empt the show cause process being undertaken by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation.
Any findings of criminal activity would be passed by the regulator to police or the federal anti-money laundering agency,AUSTRAC,as part of ongoing investigations.
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