Australian casino operator is reportedly working with the regulator for New South Wales in order to bring casino gaming to its fresh Crown Sydney property.
May 13, 2021
In Australia and The Star Entertainment Group Limited has reportedly followed rival casino operator Crown Resorts Limited in agreeing to stop the use of junket firms in order to attract high-value foreign players to its New South Wales property.
According to a report from Inside Asian Gaming, the move from the Brisbane-headquartered company comes a little over four months after Crown Resorts Limited was refused a gaming license for its new Crown Sydney development owing to concerns that it may have been complicit in a slew of money laundering offenses tied to its own utilization of such junkets. The source detailed that this licensing decision from the New South Wales Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority could be revisited before the end of the year so long as the operator has implemented a number of recommendations earlier laid out by an independent investigation chaired by former New South Wales Supreme Court Judge Patricia Bergin.
Crown Resorts has two offers on the table for its casino business in Australia. The seekers are The Star Entertainment Group and Blackstone Group.
Acrobats perform outside The Star casino in Sydney. The resort’s parent company, The Star Entertainment Group, is making a play to acquire competitor Crown Resorts. (Image: The Star Entertainment Group)
Blackstone, the private equity business of billionaire Stephen Schwarzman, has been targeting Crown since March. Blackstone is looking to expand its global footprint in the gaming industry.
The group currently owns the physical assets of several Las Vegas Strip properties, including the Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Mandalay Bay, and MGM Grand.
Crown Resorts Perth reopens casino services after lockdown
7th May 2021
| By Marese O Hagan
Crown Resorts Perth, Western Australia location is set to reopen more services in line with an announcement from the Western Australia Government, after the region s most recent lockdown in response to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
From 8 May, Crown’s Perth location will be able to offer gaming services and unrestricted food and beverage facilities for the first time since the lockdown commenced.
However, some restrictions remain in place. The government announcement outlined that social distancing rules must be followed, with one person per two square meters allowed indoors. To encourage social distancing, Crown Perth has deactivated every second gaming machine.
Crown Sydney granted interim liquor licences for Barangaroo casino
Crown Sydney has been granted new liquor licences that will allow the gaming giant to serve alcohol in its bars and restaurants until the end of October this year.
The New South Wales Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) today approved three interim licences that will allow liquor to be served at Barangaroo at non-gaming areas only.
The new licences are valid from May 1 until October 31, 2021.
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Crown Casino at Barangaroo can serve alcohol in non-gaming areas until October 31.(Nick Moir/Sydney Morning Herald)
Announcing the approval to shareholders, Executive Chair Helen Coonan said Crown welcomes the step towards the gaming giant restoring confidence in its operations.