NSW Regulator Keeps The Star Sydney Under a Manager Until June 2027

The Star Sydney will stay under an outside manager for at least another nine months. The NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC) said on Friday, September 25, that the state’s Minister for Gaming and Racing has amended the Casino Control Regulation 2019 to extend manager Nick Weeks until June 30, 2027, and the casino’s license stays suspended in the meantime.

Weeks holds the casino license for The Star Pty Limited, which lets the casino keep its gaming facilities open, Table Games included, while the suspension runs. The NICC said the extension was made at its own request.

Progress, but Not Enough to Hand Back the Keys

NICC Chief Commissioner Philip Crawford said The Star had made progress, but questions remained about its governance, leadership and culture remediation, which he called crucial to the casino operating under its own license.

He didn’t soften the new problems. “Recent allegations regarding governance, leadership, and culture at the casino are serious and are being treated as such by both the manager and the NICC,” Crawford said. “It is disappointing that despite the progress made by the Sydney casino, the Group company continues to experience problems that affect each of its properties.”

The regulator also flagged two open items. The Star is still waiting on the outcome of the civil proceedings AUSTRAC brought against it in the Federal Court, and the NICC said there’s uncertainty about whether The Star Entertainment Group can support the Sydney remediation while it fills critical leadership and governance roles.

The AUSTRAC Case Is Still Hanging

That Federal Court case has been running since November 2022, when the national anti-money laundering regulator went after Star entities for breaches it called “serious and systemic”. ABC News reported at the time that each individual breach can carry a maximum penalty of A$18 million-A$22 million, and that AUSTRAC’s statement of claim ran to more than 2,000 pages.

Crawford left the door open, though. He said the suspension can be lifted “at any time if the casino can demonstrate that its remediation efforts have been properly embedded in the business.” So June 2027 is the end of the manager’s term, not a fixed return date.

Nearly Four Years Under Outside Control

The suspension goes back to the first review of The Star by Adam Bell SC, who handed down his findings on August 31, 2022. On October 17 that year, the NICC suspended the Sydney license indefinitely, fined the casino A$100 million and appointed a manager. Weeks took over from 9am on Friday, October 21, for what was meant to be 90 days.

His appointment has been extended several times since. A second Bell inquiry in 2024 ended with the NICC taking disciplinary action in the form of a penalty “in the order of $15 million”, along with proposed new conditions on the independence of The Star’s board. At that point the regulator intended to keep the manager in place until at least September 30, 2026, the date this week’s amendment pushes back.

Bally’s Bought Into the Problem

The ownership has changed in the meantime. The Star agreed to a A$300 million rescue from US operator Bally’s and Investment Holdings Pty Ltd, which is controlled by pub owner Bruce Mathieson and his family, and ABC News reported in November 2025 that the two would move to take more than half of the company once regulators signed off.

The NICC gave Bally’s the approvals to become a substantial shareholder of The Star. Crawford aimed his criticism at the “Group company” rather than the Sydney casino, and the new owners are still waiting for a Sydney property that can make money under its own license.

Queensland Made the Same Call a Day Earlier

Sydney isn’t the only Star property on hold. On Thursday, Queensland’s Crisafulli Government pushed back the suspension of The Star Gold Coast, which had been due to start for 90 days from September 30, 2026, to March 31, 2027.

Weeks is the Special Manager there too, and his appointment in Queensland was extended to the same date. His August report found The Star had made significant progress on its main remediation and reform work, while several priority matters are still in progress.

One Overseer for Two States

Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said: “Queenslanders can have full confidence that we will take immediate action if The Star fails to deliver on its obligations.”

That leaves Weeks as the independent overseer in both states, and The Star Sydney’s license, suspended since October 2022, stays in his hands until June 30, 2027.