Queensland urged to extend Star inquiry to other casinos
The Queensland Government is investigating “serious” allegations about junket operations at The Ville Casino and Resort.
Australia.- The state of Queensland is coming under pressure from the Alliance for Gambling Reform and local media to widen its current inquiry into The Star Entertainment Group to other casino operators. It comes after Channel 9’s 60 Minutes reported that Ville Casino and Resort in Townsville paid an alleged illegal junket operator cash and loyalty points to bring in high rollers.
The state government said the allegations were serious and that the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation was investigating. However, Ville casino said in a statement that the reports contained inaccurate facts and that the casino was operating legally. Cairns Reef Hotel Casino has also been implicated in allegations.
Prime minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was unaware of the allegations and would “investigate”, but Tim Costello, chief advocate for the Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR) argued: “60 Minutes is a national program – how can the Premier and her staff not be briefed on it?”
He added: “The crime and the enabling of crime just flows from one casino to another, and there are four casinos in Queensland so you can’t live in a bubble.”
Shadow attorney-general Tim Nicholls also called for the Star inquiry to be broadened. He told ABC: “These matters and issues have been going on for a long time and I think really the government has been forced to take this step.”
Former judge The Honourable Robert Gotterson AO is leading Queensland’s inquiry to determine whether The Star is suitable to continue holding a gaming licence. He is due to report to the attorney general, minister for justice, minister for women and minister for the prevention of domestic and family violence by September 30.
Counsel assisting Jonathan Horton QC opened the inquiry saying that people with gambling-harm-related issues were encouraged to visit the Queensland casino. The inquiry was also told that Chinese nationals were able to gamble using China UnionPay credit or debit cards despite Chinese restrictions on currency movement. According to Horton, some AU$55m was transacted in Star Queensland casinos using the process.
On the third day of public hearings, the inquiry heard that a patron who was banned from casinos in New South Wales and Victoria and who was allegedly linked to the Italian mafia was allowed to gamble at the venues.
Howard Steiner, Star’s anti-money laundering general manager, told the inquiry the company decided not to ban the man because he had not been charged with any crime. However, Steiner noted that the customer would have been banned under the company’s current policies.
Geoff Hogg, Star interim chief executive, added that people with interstate bans should have been excluded earlier from all Star casinos, no matter the state. Star changed its policies in 2019 to recognise exclusion orders from interstate police commissioners. Since then, banning orders have been recognised nationally.
