A new rule limiting the amount of cash casinos in New South Wales can accept to just AU$1,000 per player per day will be delayed for a year as the state’s operators continue to face challenges in mandating the adoption of cashless gaming technology.
According to a report by The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Star Sydney and Crown Sydney are permitted to accept up to AU$5,000 per player per day until August 2025. The AU$1,000 cap was due to come into effect on Monday 19 August.
The mandatory card game at The Star will also be postponed by a month to October 19, at the request of the company’s recently appointed CEO, Steve McCann. The SMH Report claims.
“Given the practical difficulties encountered by both casino operators in implementing technological changes for cashless gaming and card games, the New South Wales Government has agreed to transitional arrangements to enable both sides to address any issues and comply with the requirements as quickly as possible,” a spokesman for Gaming Minister David Harris is quoted as saying.
The introduction of cash limits and a card-play requirement were part of the recommendations that emerged from investigations into both casino operators in recent years, which found that both Crown and Star were ineligible to hold a casino licence in NSW due to multiple breaches of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act.
Crown has now been cleared to resume operations at its casinos in Sydney and Melbourne, but Star’s future remains uncertain as the final report of a second investigation into its operations was recently handed over to the NSW Independent Casino Commission.
As revealed by About Asian GamingStar Entertainment Group shut down all electronic gaming machines (EGMs) and electronic table games (ETGs) at all three Australian casinos in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast last month due to “system performance issues” related to the rollout of cashless gaming technology. The machines were gradually brought back online over the course of three to four days.
There are no extraordinary general meetings under Crown Sydney’s Casino Agreement.
According to SMH, Star will introduce mandatory card play in its VIP gaming areas and at its gaming tables from Monday, but all machines will still accept cash until October 19.
“Granting a transition period will enable us to address any technical difficulties and live risks,” the minister’s spokesman said.
