Mr Kempster believes that he has had his personal information passed between gambling companies. The man claimed he was from an Australian company that had an office in Clairwood Avenue in Pakenham (on Melbourne’s south-eastern fringe) and that what he was doing was legal. Mr Kempster estimates he’s been called or emailed about a dozen times by gambling companies since signing up to various self-exclusion registers.
The business partnership which saved Donald Trump’s career was forged in a failed Australian casino bid. Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, controlled by Hong Kong’s Cheng family, is a jewellery and property empire with “vast financial resources”, according to Queensland’s Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation OLGR. But in 2018, Star was turning a blind eye to Suncity running bags of cash through a VIP room in its Sydney casino. Its Chinese partners in the $3.8 billion Queen’s Wharf venture would earn fees for referring VIP gamblers to the casino — and develop high-rises around it. But Star was in no rush to end the scam, which was in full swing at casinos across Australia.
Gambling revenues have reached record highs in recent years as legalized gambling has proliferated across the U.S. Thirty-eight states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, now have some form of legalized sports betting, which has exploded following a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that broke up Nevada’s monopoly on the practice. In 2024, commercial gaming revenue reached a record high of nearly $72 billion, according to the American Gaming Association, which represents the U.S. gambling industry.
The Bill, set to be introduced to federal parliament on Wednesday, will illegalise the use of credit cards and digital currencies in online wagering and slap fines up to $234,750 on companies that don’t enforce the ban. In all, the state has more than 85,000 poker machines in clubs, pubs and casinos, a situation that has sparked an uproar from even the union movement which earlier this year called for an urgent reduction in pokie numbers. The embattled casino operator has signed a $300 million rescue package with Bally’s Corporation to save the business from administration. Most forms of betting are illegal in Thailand and Pheu Thai argued the Bill would end a thriving underground gambling industry by admitting it into the mainstream. Just a few days later, Star reached a deal with US casino giant Bally’s for at least $250 million in exchange for a controlling stake in the company. The deadline to reach a deal on the sale of Star Entertainment’s stake in Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf precinct has been extended, as the casino operator desperately fights to avoid administration.
Veteran media mogul Tim Hughes comes in from the cold
The government is preparing its response to the June 2023 recommendations of a parliamentary inquiry on online gambling harm. As gambling, particularly legalized sports betting, has proliferated in recent years, though, researchers have found a negative impact on bettors’ finances, including reduced savings and lower investments in generally safer assets like stocks. Meanwhile, internet searches for gambling addiction and calls to state gambling helplines have increased, particularly among younger men. Other priorities named in the letter, which was obtained by NBC News, included increasing the slot tax reporting threshold from $1,200 to $5,000 and repealing the sports betting excise tax on legal sports wagers. The AGA also named a number of broader tax priorities, including calling for no taxes on tips and maintaining the current corporate tax rate and SALT deductions.
“The AFL received hundreds of millions worth of taxpayers money … so taxpayers are giving these sports money and in return they’re saying, ‘Well, we’ve actually got no social contract with you’. The ABC’s analysis found that the NRL had the most teams sponsored by gambling companies across any sporting code — 10 out of 16. Just when you thought our state’s addiction to poker machines couldn’t get any worse, the NSW government has outdone itself. According to the casino operator, 9000 hospitality jobs at its casinos in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast are on the line if Star Entertainment goes under. In Queensland, Premier David Crisafulli did not rule out help for the casino operator, but said he would like to strike a “good deal” for Queensland taxpayers and the casino’s 6000 state workers.
Cirsa’s IPO Marks a Historic Moment in Spain’s Casino Industry
So much money is involved, that these powerful entities routinely penetrate the upper echelons of power and pull the strings every time a threat emerges. The only area of gaming and gambling where we appear to be lacking is in the area of legislation and oversight. With https://www.gambling360.com/australia/casino-reviews/ Trump out of office, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe are finally getting relief from their legal troubles.
- Its Chinese partners in the $3.8 billion Queen’s Wharf venture would earn fees for referring VIP gamblers to the casino — and develop high-rises around it.
- “I have even heard of Australian operators trading their bunch of lapsed gamblers so people like Mark get a call from a new business, with some sweeteners to tempt them, and off they go, often kicking off a relapse. It is extremely harmful.”
- One state premier has given a blunt response to an embattled casino giant as it faces collapse, putting thousands of jobs at risk.
- A 2022 NSW inquiry found damning evidence of money laundering and counter-terrorism failings at the groups’ Sydney casino while a 2024 probe found more breaches.
- Embattled casino giant Star Entertainment Group is asking governments for support, as it renewed its warning it could run out of cash by the end of February.
IGB spoke to Gil Tal, founder of PayConsult, to get his insight on business models, migrating from white label to turnkey models and the future of the payment landscape. It seems the crypto casino operators are keen to emulate their heroes in more ways than one. Crown is currently not permitted to operate poker machines at its Sydney casino under its licence with the NSW government. As Australia prepares for the government to finalise its gambling advertising restrictions, we take a look at what’s happened in a nation where bans have already been implemented. The Minns government last year wound back the previous Perrottet government’s commitment to have cashless gaming by 2028 — which would more easily identify problem gamblers and money-laundering activities — and instead decided upon a “trial”. When they arrived, most were stunned to find the city and the entire state riddled with “clubs” — non-profit ventures filled with poker machines.
$15 million remains up for grabs, two players $500,000 richer
A GambleAware-backed study is investigating the best practices for treating gambling harm among neurodiverse people. A 2022 NSW inquiry found damning evidence of money laundering and counter-terrorism failings at the groups’ Sydney casino while a 2024 probe found more breaches. Star Entertainment has narrowly dodged financial collapse with thousands of jobs saved after a US casino giant swooped in to rescue the flailing business.