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Star shareholders subsequently approved the takeover, providing the company with a path to continued operations under new ownership. In Star’s case, voluntary administration was ultimately avoided when Bally’s Corporation — an American casino operator — agreed on April 7, 2025 to acquire a 56.7% controlling stake through a multi-tranche subordinated debt arrangement. The company’s Star Sydney licence was already under suspension, making the regulatory path for any buyer complex and time-consuming. Once appointed, administrators have broad powers over the company’s assets and operations. Voluntary administration is a formal insolvency procedure under Australian corporate law in which an independent administrator takes control of a financially distressed company to assess its options. Online sports betting is widely available from operators licensed in any Australian jurisdiction, though retail wagering is a monopoly held by Tabcorp. It agreed in April 2025 to take a 56.7% controlling stake in Star Entertainment through a multi-tranche subordinated debt structure.
This is prohibited by the federal Interactive Gambling Act 2001, and these sites offer no consumer protection. What you can expect from a licensed site’s offers in Queensland. Verify with the local regulator and your ad-platform account manager before launching. Programmatic networks must enforce distance buffers around school properties and youth centers. Commercial runs are legal but heavily restricted by ACMA standards. Native architectures must integrate robust geo-tracking software to respect federal land exclusions. Unlicensed sites may take deposits but offer no consumer protection if a payout dispute arises.
If a site isn’t on the regulator’s licensee register, it isn’t licensed locally. Anything else offered to you online is unlicensed and gives you no protection. Online casino and poker are prohibited under the federal Interactive Gambling Act 2001. He has personally assessed over 380 online casino platforms throughout his distinguished career. Vaughn Halstead is a prominent iGaming journalist with over 14 years of experience covering the Australian online casino market. AUSTRAC commenced Federal Court civil penalty proceedings against Star in November 2022, alleging serious and systemic failures to comply with Australia’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act.
Both states maintained regulatory oversight rather than forcing immediate closure. In Queensland, Star was fined AU$100 million and faced a 90-day licence suspension that was repeatedly deferred pending remediation. In NSW, The Star Sydney’s licence was suspended following both the 2022 and 2024 Bell Inquiry findings of unsuitability. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) actively blocks unlicensed offshore casino sites. It is important to note that under Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001, offshore online casino sites are prohibited from offering services to Australian residents.
Star’s loyalty programme remained active through the Bally’s acquisition process. AUSTRAC was seeking a penalty of up to AU$400 million; Star argued any penalty above AU$100 million would push it into insolvency. For online gambling, Australians may legally use platforms licensed and regulated in their jurisdiction for sports betting and racing. Australians seeking online pokies with payid australia gambling options should verify the legal status of any operator before registering. When the Oaktree Capital rescue deal stalled over the NSW government’s refusal to grant rights over the Star Sydney land, the company’s options narrowed rapidly — until Bally’s stepped in. In the 2023–24 financial year, Star recorded AU$1.69 billion in losses, including a AU$1.44 billion write-down on casino assets.
A second Bell Inquiry was commissioned, and its 2024 report found that Star had still not achieved suitability in NSW. Star was found to have allowed customers linked to organised crime to gamble, including individuals already excluded by NSW Police. Australia’s casino regulators moved decisively against Star Entertainment across both of its major operating states. 💎 100% bonus up to $750 + 150 free spins when you join Australia’s best online casino alternative to Star Casino Introduction to the regulatory framework and licensing for casinos in NSW.
Investigators found major failings in AML controls, VIP oversight, and corporate governance. The Star Sydney has remained under external supervision and government oversight — a status expected to continue through at least September 2025. Star Casino regulatory action in both NSW and Queensland was triggered by concurrent inquiries that exposed deep systemic failures. The findings were damning, and the penalties were substantial, though licence suspensions were repeatedly deferred to give the company time to remediate. With its $15M NICC fine instalment obligations, mounting legal costs, and a pending AUSTRAC penalty potentially reaching AU$400 million, the arithmetic was brutal. By the final quarter of 2024, the company was spending AU$107 million in a single three-month period while only holding AU$79 million in the bank. Mandatory carded play requirements, introduced as part of post-inquiry reforms, reduced the casino floor’s appeal to certain segments of players.
The NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority has approved funds manager Blackstone’s suitability to hold a casino licence in NSW, paving the way for the company to become the operator of Crown Sydney casino. All jersey sponsorships, stadium signage, and field-of-play logo placements for wagering operators are completely illegal under national reforms. Existing points could still be redeemed, though members were advised to stay alert to any programme changes as the new ownership restructures the business. Operations continued under an external manager appointed by the NSW Independent Casino Commission. The cost of remediation, legal defence, and regulatory penalties then piled onto an already challenged business.
While Star’s casinos continue to operate under Bally’s ownership, the instability of recent years has prompted many to explore alternatives. When regulators finally acted — following investigative journalism that exposed Crown Resorts first, then focused attention on Star — the company was found to have been running these practices for years. Star’s loyalty programme — Star Rewards — allows members to accumulate points through gaming, dining, and hotel stays.