Star Sydney has been hit with $10 million in fines for regulatory breaches, including exceeding gaming time limits and failing to properly vet patrons for links to criminal and terrorist activity.
The casino will be required to set aside a further $5 million to bolster its financial crime risk management operations by the independent body behind the fines, the NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC).
A $1.5 million fine was imposed for allowing customers to exceed gaming time limits on multiple occasions between May 2024 and April 2025, the commission revealed on Monday.
In some cases, patrons were able to gamble for more than 36 hours straight despite regulations limiting gambling to no more than 12 hours in 24 hours.
The bulk of the fines - $5 million - were imposed for failing to take the appropriate steps to ensure customers were not engaging in criminal activity, including money laundering and terrorism financing.
The casino attracted a further $3 million penalty for allowing 1898 patrons to convert casino reward points to cash, including to pay for airfares and other travel expenses, between December 2018 and November 2023.
It will also pay a $500,000 penalty for allowing entry to an excluded patron on nine occasions between February and May 2024.
The Star's chief executive and managing director Bruce Mathieson Jr said the casino took its obligations seriously, with the penalties to be paid by June 30, 2027.
"These events occurred between December 2018 and September 2025 and prior to the commencement of the current leadership," the casino said in a statement to investors on Monday.
"We will continue to engage constructively with the NICC in respect of The Star Sydney as we work through our remediation program. I am confident that we are making progress."
It is not the first time the casino giant has made headlines for breaking the rules.
In October 2022, the commission suspended the casino's licence and issued a $100 million fine for breaches of anti-money-laundering laws by allowing potential criminals to use the casino.
In February 2023, Star agreed to pay $150 million in penalties over concerns raised by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission regarding non-compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.
The company's former chief executive Matthias Bekier faces more than $1 million in fines for failing to disclose a possible criminal risk posed by a Chinese junket operator.
ASIC successfully sued Mr Bekier, with a federal court due to hand down a decision on his penalty later in June.
NSW Independent Casino Commission chief commissioner Philip Crawford said while the latest breaches were disappointing, the company had come a long way in recent years in improving oversight and regulatory adherence.
Many of the breaches were detected through the casino's ongoing remediation program, while some of the matters were self-reported by the company.
"We have seen considerable progress at The Star under their new leadership," Mr Crawford said.
"While we are optimistic about The Star's remediation progress, the casino's recent poor compliance history has also factored into the commission's decision."
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