Star Entertainment’s Sydney casino has been denied a request to increase the number of gaming machines due to uncertainty following recent regulatory inquiries.
“The Star has been advised by the NSW Government that it does not consider it appropriate at this time to move forward with The Star’s proposal,” the regulator said in a note released by the company.
“This is in light of a period of significant change for the casino sector as a whole following the Bergin Inquiry, the Bell Review and proposed changes to the NSW Casino Control Act 1992 which pertain to the appointment of a new regulator and various reforms to regulatory controls.”
The Bergin Inquiry found rival Crown Resorts to be unsuitable to hold a license for its new Sydney property, while Star is waiting for the results of the Bell probe which was looking into its suitability.
The New South Wales government began looking into a request in August last year to transfer the licenses for some 1000 underperforming pokie machines from pubs and clubs around the region to the Star Sydney casino.
Currently, the property is allowed to operate 1,500 gaming machines, which it states it just 1.6 percent of the total number of those in the state. Making its request, Star pointed to the gaming machine numbers of Queen’s Wharf Brisbane and Crown Perth, with 2,500 machines each, and Crown Melbourne, with 2,628.
