• Star casinos shut down all the electronic gaming machines due to systems disruption.
  • The Star’s upgrade failure could lead to significant losses and penalties due to new Queensland regulations.

OUR TAKE
The shutdown of electronic gaming machines will result in a significant decrease in the company’s revenue. The Star has previously faced questions about whether it should continue to hold a casino licence, and its management team has been widely criticised for negligence. The new regulations have forced the company to upgrade its systems, and failure to comply with these regulations will undoubtedly add to the company’s difficulties.
–Yasmine Luo, BTW reporter

What happened

Star Entertainment Group of Australia was forced to switch off all electronic gaming machines at its Sydney, Brisbane, and Gold Coast casinos due to system performance issues during a planned upgrade for cashless gaming.

Currently, Star Entertainment and Konami, its external provider are working to address the issues as soon as possible.

“Treasury Brisbane, The Star Gold Coast, and The Star Sydney remain open with table games,” a spokesperson said.

Previously, The Star was accused of offering unrestrained gambling and loose management practices, resulting in a $100 million fine for allowing money laundering in 2022. Questions have been raised about the suitability of the company to hold a casino licence. Despite these challenges, the company appointed Steve McCann as its CEO and managing director last month.

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Why it’s important

The failure of the upgrade further highlights the malpractice of Star’ Entertainment’s management team, as they have provided no specific timeline for when the machines will be back online, despite the shutdown leading to significant losses.

The Queensland parliament has passed several major reforms, requiring casinos to implement specific measures to reduce gambling harm and combat money laundering. According to the new regulations, casino players must use player cards instead of cash, with restrictions on cash usage. Therefore, The Star’s system upgrade failure, in addition to the losses caused by the machines being out of service, could also result in penalties.