A day after the NSW casino regulator announced The Star Sydney casino licence would remain suspended and that the independent manager’s oversight of the business would be extended, the Queensland Government has today informed The Star Gold Coast that its looming licence suspension will be deferred for another year.
The government has stepped in to prevent the trigger of a 90-day licence suspension for The Star Entertainment Group’s (ASX: SGR) Gold Coast property which would otherwise have occurred from 30 September 2025.
The suspension originally included The Star’s Treasury Casino in Brisbane, but this no longer applies as the property ceased operations last year to make way for Destination Brisbane Consortium’s new Queen’s Wharf Property, known as The Star Brisbane.
Queensland’s acting Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie says the licence suspension for The Star Gold Coast has been deferred until 30 September 2026 following advice from special manager Nicholas Weeks who is also special manager for The Star Sydney.
While Weeks, in his latest update to the government, has acknowledged steady progress being made by The Star Gold Coast on its remediation efforts, he has also reported that progress has been slower than anticipated due to The Star group’s “recent financial challenges and uncertainty”.
The Queensland Government says the 12-month deferral will provide The Star with the opportunity to “continue to implement and embed key deliverables under its remediation plan”.
Weeks’ role as special manager of The Star Gold Coast has also been extended until 30 September 2026.
Bleijie says the state government has set “clear expectations” for The Star.
“The Crisafulli Government has the highest standards when it comes to the integrity of casino operations in Queensland,” says the acting Attorney-General.
“We will continue to closely monitor The Star’s remediation progress to ensure key milestones are met.
“This deferral does not prevent us from taking immediate action should The Star fail to meet its remediation obligations.”
The deferral follows the NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC) yesterday informing The Star Sydney that the suspension of its casino licence would remain in place “at this time” and that Weeks’ role as special manager would be extended until 31 March 2026, unless terminated earlier by the casino authority.
In response to the NICC’s continued licence suspension of The Star Sydney yesterday, The Star’s group CEO Steve McCann acknowledged that there was more work to be done by the company to restore its suitability to hold a casino licence.
“We remain committed to delivering on our remediation plan to support the safe and compliant operation of our business,” said McCann.
“The Star is committed to continuing its transparent and constructive relationship with the manager, the NICC and the New South Wales Government, and demonstrating to all its stakeholders its suitability as a licence holder as soon as possible.”
Weeks has been overseeing The Star Sydney’s operations since 17 October 2022, when the NICC determined that The Star was not suitable to hold a casino licence.
Prior to the extension, the appointment of Weeks as special manager was due to expire on 30 September 2025 – the same date as The Star Gold Coast.
The Star Entertainment Group last month posted a bottom-line loss of $471.5 million in FY25 as revenue slumped 29 per cent to $1.18 billion.
The company’s underlying performance was also in the red with an EBITDA loss before significant items of $77.1 million reported for FY25.
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