Australian casino operator The Star has announced that it has been served with a class action lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
According to a company announcement, Australia-based specialist litigation firm Phi Finney McDonald alleges that between 29th March, 2016 and 13th June 2022, ‘The Star made misleading representations, including about its systems and processes for compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing obligations’.
The suit comes in the wake of fines issued by both Australia’s financial watchdog, AUSTRAC, and the state’s gaming board, with The Star ordered to pay out hundreds of millions in fines for its failure to abide by anti-money laundering laws and not keep in check problem gambling by clients.
The suit further alleges that The Star ‘failed to disclose relevant information it had about those matters (AML and CFT) to the market, and conducted its affairs contrary to the interest of the members of The Star as a whole’.
The new lawsuit also dovetails similar class action suits filed in March and November of last year.
The group has already scheduled the payment of its $67 million fine issued by the New South Wales Independent Casino Commission, breaking it up into three tranches to be completed by the end of this year.
The group has had the casino license of its Queensland and Sydney properties suspended, with both venues now being managed by an independent appointee – however the casino license suspension has been deferred in Queensland until December 1st, allowing the casino time to return to compliance.
Both gaming commissions in the states where The Star operates have claimed that further action could be leveled if the group doesn’t return to compliance, while the nation’s financial crimes watchdog is also keeping an eye on proceedings to evaluate whether further measures are necessary.
The Star has not announced the proposed remuneration that the lawyers from Phi Finney McDonald are seeking for alleged damages.