Australia’s Star Entertainment Group Limited has been knocked back in its bid to add an additional 1,000 gaming machines at The Star Sydney.
The company revealed Friday that it has been advised that the NSW Government does not consider it appropriate “at this time” to move forward with Star’s proposal given the recent review into Star Sydney’s operations. A report into Star’s suitability to retain its NSW casino license as a result of the review is due in August.
Star revealed in August 2021 that it put forward a proposal to the state government to add an additional 1,000 gaming machines at The Star Sydney, with licenses to be obtained from underperforming pubs and clubs across regional NSW.
The Star Sydney is currently licensed to operate 1,500 gaming machines, meaning the proposal would have boosted its inventory by 67% if approved.
Instead, the company will have to await the findings of the Bell review, which uncovered a raft of failures around Star’s anti-money laundering controls.
A second review into Star’s operations in Brisbane and the Gold Coast was recently announced by the Queensland Government.