{"id":228096,"date":"2022-08-24T10:29:42","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T15:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=228096"},"modified":"2022-08-24T11:45:09","modified_gmt":"2022-08-24T16:45:09","slug":"star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/","title":{"rendered":"Star Entertainment Revelations During Queensland Inquiry Are Unsettling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Star Entertainment is now in the spotlight in Queensland<\/a>, Australia, and the company is certainly feeling the pressure. Not surprisingly, the hearing into how the casino operator has conducted business for years is not putting it in a good light.<\/p>\n

\"Star
Star Entertainment CEO Geoff Hogg in Lobby at The Darling at The Star Gold Coast. The casino operator faces intense scrutiny in Queensland that is revealing a pattern of regulatory abuses. (Image: Star Entertainment)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A similar inquiry in New South Wales<\/a> (NSW) already pulled back the curtain on what goes on behind Star\u2019s closed doors. There was little reason to believe its activity in Queensland would be any different, and it is proving that it isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

This latest inquiry only began this week. While it\u2019s evident that Star doesn\u2019t risk losing its license in the state, its past actions are going to haunt it for years to come.<\/p>\n

Star Shows Concerning Pattern<\/h2>\n

Earlier testimony in the inquiry already uncovered Star\u2019s relationship with Chinese triads. Among these are the company Chow Tai Fook<\/a> and notorious triad boss Broken Tooth. However, equally unsettling is the fact that Star allegedly knew that Chow Tai Fook was involved in organized crime when it welcomed it as a business partner.<\/p>\n

Fook is a partner in the upcoming Queen\u2019s Wharf casino resort Star is building. The resort is part of a larger, multibillion-dollar revitalization project Queensland put together. Chow Tai Fook also has significant ties to LET (formerly Suncity Group) and a casino in Hoiana, Vietnam, which is also allegedly tied to Broken Tooth<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition, there are now questions about how regulators could have signed off on the Queen\u2019s Wharf consortium. Fook\u2019s alleged involvement in organized crime and its ties to Broken Tooth have been common knowledge for years. Fook also owns, among other companies, Australia\u2019s Alinta Energy company.<\/p>\n

In this early stage of the inquiry, it isn\u2019t clear what the government intends to do about the Star-Fook connection. The government has only stated that it will discuss the issue \u201cbehind closed doors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gambling Addiction Not a Problem<\/h2>\n

The fact that police banned an Aussie from gambling didn\u2019t seem to matter to Star. Media outlet In Queensland<\/em> reports that Star enthusiastically welcomed a banned gambler, even giving him a $52,000 Rolex, private jet trips, and more.<\/p>\n

\n

Police banned the unnamed individual from Star Sydney beginning in 2007. However, he was able to gamble regularly at Star\u2019s Gold Coast casino until December of last year. The media outlet reports that there were \u201c719 pages of history of (complimentary services)\u201d for the individual in the records.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It wasn\u2019t until Chris Peasley, the head of the casino\u2019s sales team, came across a news article that he realized the ban was in place. That was a clear indication that Star was not performing due diligence throughout its operations.<\/p>\n

It was also an indication of Star\u2019s indifference, as Peasley and his team discussed the ban in 2015-2016. Yet, in spite of that, the gambler continued to visit the gaming floor and receive gifts until the end of 2021.<\/p>\n

Lack of Responsibility<\/h2>\n

Perhaps part of the reason Star\u2019s Gold Coast venue didn\u2019t realize there was an issue with the gambler is because it wasn\u2019t living up to its responsible gambling promise. But, overall, the operator has left the decision-making process up to staff members to make the calls.<\/p>\n

\n

Although many regulars and high-rollers had access to membership cards, their use is not mandatory. As a result, if a cardholder visited a casino and didn\u2019t use the card, Star had virtually no indication that any flags might exist. In addition, staff could not keep track of thousands of identities to know their status.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Despite already having been subjected to an inquiry in NSW, Star executives and management apparently maintained an apathetic approach toward responsible gambling measures in Queensland. Junior Toleafoa, Star\u2019s responsible gambling manager, acknowledged this in his testimony.<\/p>\n

Toleafoa admitted that Star did not change some of its gambling policies until the day before its suitability hearing in Queensland began. Until then, some gamblers could spend six hours straight on the gaming floor with no problem. In some instances, 10-12 hours was acceptable.<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, even then, Star only knew how long gamblers remained active if they had entered with their membership cards. If not, the operator paid little attention.<\/p>\n

\n

All of this sheds light on what seems to be a pattern of indifference at Star. This Friday, the company\u2019s CEO, Geoff Hogg<\/a>, will have to answer questions, and it\u2019s possible more damning evidence may surface. The inquiry already knows what it wants to ask and knows what answers it expects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The inquiry will begin to wrap up soon in order to prepare a final report and provide recommendations. By September 30, the inquiry will deliver its findings to Queensland Attorney General Shannon Fentiman, who will then determine how to punish Star for its violations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Star Entertainment is now in the spotlight in Queensland, Australia, and the company is certainly feeling the pressure. Not surprisingly, the hearing into how the casino operator has conducted business for years is not putting it in a good light. A similar inquiry in New South Wales (NSW) already pulled back the curtain on what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":228095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,33810],"tags":[81985,13363],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStar Entertainment Revelations During Queensland Inquiry Are Unsettling - Casino.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Star Entertainment is now in the spotlight in Queensland, Australia, and the company is certainly feeling the pressure. Not surprisingly, the hearing into\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Star Entertainment Revelations During Queensland Inquiry Are Unsettling - Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Star Entertainment is now in the spotlight in Queensland, Australia, and the company is certainly feeling the pressure. Not surprisingly, the hearing into\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-08-24T15:29:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-24T16:45:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Star-Entertainment-CEO-Geoff-Hogg-in-Lobby-at-The-Darling-at-The-Star-Gold-Coast-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Erik Gibbs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erik Gibbs\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/\",\"name\":\"Star Entertainment Revelations During Queensland Inquiry Are Unsettling - Casino.org\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Star-Entertainment-CEO-Geoff-Hogg-in-Lobby-at-The-Darling-at-The-Star-Gold-Coast-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-08-24T15:29:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-24T16:45:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/21bf33e35290a1da9c572298dac6b7ca\"},\"description\":\"Star Entertainment is now in the spotlight in Queensland, Australia, and the company is certainly feeling the pressure. Not surprisingly, the hearing into\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Star-Entertainment-CEO-Geoff-Hogg-in-Lobby-at-The-Darling-at-The-Star-Gold-Coast-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Star-Entertainment-CEO-Geoff-Hogg-in-Lobby-at-The-Darling-at-The-Star-Gold-Coast-1.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":640,\"caption\":\"Star Entertainment CEO Geoff Hogg in Lobby at The Darling at The Star Gold Coast. The casino operator faces intense scrutiny in Queensland that is revealing a pattern of regulatory abuses. (Image: Star Entertainment)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Gaming Business\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/gaming-business\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Star Entertainment Revelations During Queensland Inquiry Are Unsettling\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Casino.org\",\"description\":\"Latest Casino and Gaming News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/21bf33e35290a1da9c572298dac6b7ca\",\"name\":\"Erik Gibbs\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-13-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-13-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Erik Gibbs\"},\"description\":\"Erik Gibbs covers global gaming news for Casino.org. His scope includes Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia. Erik has covered gaming markets in Europe and Asia for the past six years. Erik joined Casino.org in November 2021. Erik has written for numerous gambling- and a handful of industry publications has quoted casino-related media outlets over the years and. He is always excited to bring a new perspective on what's happening in the gaming space. Erik enjoys following the global gaming industry, paying particular attention to innovation and regulation. Originally from the US, Erik has spent extensive time living in various countries across the globe. He enjoys anything that has to do with the outdoors and exploration, although he readily admits that he would have no trouble spending all day fishing on a boat. He currently resides in Spain. Contact Erik at erik.gibbs@casino.org.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/erik-gibbs\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Star Entertainment Revelations During Queensland Inquiry Are Unsettling - Casino.org","description":"Star Entertainment is now in the spotlight in Queensland, Australia, and the company is certainly feeling the pressure. Not surprisingly, the hearing into","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Star Entertainment Revelations During Queensland Inquiry Are Unsettling - Casino.org","og_description":"Star Entertainment is now in the spotlight in Queensland, Australia, and the company is certainly feeling the pressure. Not surprisingly, the hearing into","og_url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/","og_site_name":"Casino.org","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","article_published_time":"2022-08-24T15:29:42+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-08-24T16:45:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":640,"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Star-Entertainment-CEO-Geoff-Hogg-in-Lobby-at-The-Darling-at-The-Star-Gold-Coast-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Erik Gibbs","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Casino_Org","twitter_site":"@Casino_Org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Erik Gibbs","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/","name":"Star Entertainment Revelations During Queensland Inquiry Are Unsettling - Casino.org","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Star-Entertainment-CEO-Geoff-Hogg-in-Lobby-at-The-Darling-at-The-Star-Gold-Coast-1.jpg","datePublished":"2022-08-24T15:29:42+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-24T16:45:09+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/21bf33e35290a1da9c572298dac6b7ca"},"description":"Star Entertainment is now in the spotlight in Queensland, Australia, and the company is certainly feeling the pressure. Not surprisingly, the hearing into","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Star-Entertainment-CEO-Geoff-Hogg-in-Lobby-at-The-Darling-at-The-Star-Gold-Coast-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Star-Entertainment-CEO-Geoff-Hogg-in-Lobby-at-The-Darling-at-The-Star-Gold-Coast-1.jpg","width":960,"height":640,"caption":"Star Entertainment CEO Geoff Hogg in Lobby at The Darling at The Star Gold Coast. The casino operator faces intense scrutiny in Queensland that is revealing a pattern of regulatory abuses. (Image: Star Entertainment)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/star-entertainment-revelations-during-queensland-inquiry-unsettling\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gaming Business","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/gaming-business\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Star Entertainment Revelations During Queensland Inquiry Are Unsettling"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/","name":"Casino.org","description":"Latest Casino and Gaming News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/21bf33e35290a1da9c572298dac6b7ca","name":"Erik Gibbs","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-13-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-13-96x96.png","caption":"Erik Gibbs"},"description":"Erik Gibbs covers global gaming news for Casino.org. His scope includes Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia. Erik has covered gaming markets in Europe and Asia for the past six years. Erik joined Casino.org in November 2021. Erik has written for numerous gambling- and a handful of industry publications has quoted casino-related media outlets over the years and. He is always excited to bring a new perspective on what's happening in the gaming space. Erik enjoys following the global gaming industry, paying particular attention to innovation and regulation. Originally from the US, Erik has spent extensive time living in various countries across the globe. He enjoys anything that has to do with the outdoors and exploration, although he readily admits that he would have no trouble spending all day fishing on a boat. He currently resides in Spain. Contact Erik at erik.gibbs@casino.org.","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/erik-gibbs\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228096"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228096\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}