The Star Sydney and Crown Sydney fined AU$2.25m over minor access

The NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC) has fined Crown Sydney AU$1.75m ($1.24m) and The Star Sydney AU$500,000 after a 16-year-old repeatedly entered both casinos using a fraudulent driver’s licence.

The incidents occurred between April and August 2025. The minor entered Crown Sydney on 19 occasions, obtained silver membership status and was served complimentary alcohol. He also accessed The Star Sydney three times.

NICC Chief Commissioner Philip Crawford said both operators had accepted responsibility for significant failures in their identity-verification and customer-onboarding processes. He added that repeated access over an extended period demonstrated the seriousness of the control deficiencies.

Crawford said the minor gambled a significant amount of money after entering casino gaming areas. Crown’s breaches additionally involved the illegal provision and consumption of complimentary alcohol.

The two casinos have undertaken to introduce further remediation measures in addition to paying the combined AU$2.25m in penalties. These measures include enhancements to identity verification and customer onboarding, alongside additional staff training.

Crawford said effective identity checks are required not only to prevent minors from accessing casino floors but also to support the detection of fraud and criminal activity.

Liquor & Gaming NSW investigated the breaches before referring the matter to the NICC for disciplinary action. Executive Director of Regulatory Operations Dimitri Argeres described the failure of safeguards as unacceptable and said the regulator would continue monitoring casino compliance with internal controls and related requirements.

Argeres added that identified breaches would be investigated and referred to the NICC where disciplinary action may be appropriate.

Liquor & Gaming NSW has also prohibited the minor from entering either casino for five years. The exclusion will begin when he turns 18.

The penalties follow other NSW enforcement activity involving gambling venues. The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority recently banned a former registered-club president for 12 months and imposed financial penalties after identifying conflict-of-interest and procurement failures.

NSW is also reviewing its wider consumer-protection framework. Liquor & Gaming NSW consulted on updated public lottery regulations, while the state Government increased annual GambleAware funding by AU$1.3m to expand service locations, peer support and access to gambling-harm assistance.