NSW Casino Regulator Extends The Star Sydney Manager’s Term to June 2027

The New South Wales Minister for Gaming and Racing has extended the term of Nick Weeks, the manager of The Star Sydney casino, until June 30, 2027, keeping the property’s licence suspension in place, the NSW Independent Casino Commission announced on September 25, 2026.

The Minister amended the Casino Control Regulation 2019 at the commission’s request. Weeks will continue to hold the casino licence for The Star Pty Limited over the nine-month period, allowing the casino to keep operating its gaming facilities while its licence remains suspended.

The Star Entertainment Group confirmed the decision in an ASX announcement on September 25, 2026, stating that the commission had advised it the suspension of The Star Sydney’s licence will remain in effect at this time and that the manager’s appointment had been extended to June 30, 2027, unless terminated earlier by the NICC. The announcement was authorised by Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Bruce Mathieson Jnr.

Regulator Cites Unresolved Governance Concerns

NICC Chief Commissioner Philip Crawford said The Star had made progress, but questions remained regarding the casino’s progress against its governance, leadership and culture remediation, which the commission said are crucial to ensuring The Star can operate under its own casino licence.

“There is no doubt that The Star has come a long way in addressing the matters which led to the suspension of its casino licence in 2022,” Crawford said. “However, 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 was disappointing that, despite the progress made by the Sydney casino, the group company continues to experience problems that affect each of its properties. He said the commission will be watching carefully to see how The Star and The Star Entertainment Group resolve these issues, adding that both companies need to demonstrate they have learned from past mistakes and can resolve the cultural issues without the need for the NICC’s intervention.

The commission noted that The Star is still awaiting the outcome of the civil proceedings brought against it by AUSTRAC in the Federal Court, and said there remains uncertainty about The Star Entertainment Group’s capacity to support The Star’s remediation while it fills critical leadership and governance roles.

“These are all issues which need to be resolved before the NICC can lift The Star’s licence suspension, which can occur at any time if the casino can demonstrate that its remediation efforts have been properly embedded in the business,” Crawford said.

A Manager in Place Since October 2022

The commission first appointed Weeks to the manager role in October 2022, when The Star’s casino licence was suspended following the first Bell Review, according to the regulator’s April announcement.

The NSW Government extended the appointment on September 25, 2025, amending the Casino Control Regulation to add a further six months to Weeks’ term, as listed on the commission’s media-release index. On April 1, 2026, the government amended the regulation again at the NICC’s request, extending the term until September 30, 2026.

In the April announcement, Crawford said the NICC had been working closely with The Star’s new leadership team on what the casino needs to achieve to be found suitable. He said the new owners were making significant changes to the operation of the business, monitored closely by the commission, including work to make the business more financially sustainable in the long term. The commission would continue to work with The Star on its remediation priorities so the casino could remedy the serious concerns raised in the two Bell inquiries, he said.

The commission also provided the necessary approvals for Bally’s Corporation to become a substantial shareholder of The Star on November 21, 2025.

Recent Enforcement Record

On June 2, 2026, the NICC issued The Star Sydney a total of $10 million in fines along with an enforceable undertaking to set a further $5 million aside to strengthen the technology surrounding its financial crime risk management operations, the commission announced.

The orders followed investigations by Liquor & Gaming NSW into thousands of breaches outlined in four separate disciplinary matters, which were referred to the NICC for disciplinary action. Many of the breaches were detected through the casino’s ongoing remediation program and subsequent investigations stemming from the Bell inquiries, and some matters were self-reported by The Star.

The penalties comprised a $1.5 million fine for allowing customers to continuously gamble without a break longer than the prescribed time limits between May 2024 and April 2025; a $3 million fine for allowing the conversion of casino reward points to cash involving at least 1,898 patrons between December 2018 and November 2023; a $500,000 fine for failing to prevent entry by an excluded patron on nine occasions between February and May 2024; and a $5 million penalty, together with the enforceable undertaking, for systemic failures in financial crime risk operations between July 2023 and September 2025.

The commission said a significant number of the time-limit breaches involved patrons permitted to gamble for more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period, and that in the more serious cases patrons were able to gamble for more than 36 hours straight. The reward-point contraventions allowed patrons to use their points to reimburse airfares or other travel expenses. The systemic financial crime failures included breaches of the casino’s customer risk rating model and of enhanced and ongoing due diligence on high-risk patrons, and in some instances the casino was found to have failed to properly assess a customer’s risk of being involved with criminal activity, including money laundering and terrorism financing.

The further $5 million under the undertaking is to be held in a dedicated remediation fund supporting the uplift of The Star’s technological capability to comply with its regulatory obligations on financial crime risk management. It was the first enforceable undertaking issued by the NICC since the tool became available to the agency under legislative changes made in 2022.

On August 19, 2026, the commission fined The Star Sydney $500,000 for allowing a minor to enter the venue.

Weeks’ extended term runs until June 30, 2027, unless the NICC terminates the appointment earlier.