Australias biggest listed casino operator suspended from stock exchange Economy

Sign Up for Take StockInvestment news, stock ideas, and more, straight to your inbox. The Star is continuing to engage with the Joint Venture Partners and will provide an update if there are any material developments regarding the parties’ respective interests in DBC and DGCC. However, Star and its JV partners were “unable to reach agreement on a number of outstanding commercial issues” relating to the deal. Revenues are down, with Star Entertainment reporting an unaudited $270 million in revenue for 4Q FY25, down 31% on 4Q FY24. “[It’s] loaded with $650 million of its own debt, is still less than 50 per cent operational and requires hundreds of millions of dollars in additional capital expenditure to complete,” Mr Mayne noted.
The half-year accounts, originally scheduled for release in February, showed a steep decline in revenues, which Star attributed to the introduction of stricter payment requirements at its Sydney casino. The rules, which started in October, force patrons to use a pre-paid card, which makes gambling more difficult and reduces the risk of money laundering. Shares in struggling JeetCity casino support resources giant Star Entertainment have plummeted on Friday after a brief trading halt was lifted, as the company searches for a financial lifeline to avoid collapsing.
However, the proposal was laced with conditions, including the approval of NSW and Queensland governments and regulators, and a satisfactory settlement with existing lenders. The success of any deal is dependent on its lenders, blackjack table limits who need to agree to any asset sale or refinance of their debt which is paying interest of more than 13 per cent. Star subsequently lied to CUP and the National Australia Bank in an effort to conceal the deceit.
Copyright © 2025 FactSet Research Systems Inc.Copyright © 2025, American Bankers Association. “They’re not highly paid people — they’re struggling with the cost of living as everyone else is and they can’t afford to take a pay cut.” The union was not aware of any requests for staff to take pay cuts or give up benefits to help keep the business afloat.
Star investors who got excited on Monday by the left-field emergence of a mystery Macau buyer of the casino’s shares would be wise to curb their enthusiasm. There is nothing about Xingchun Wang’s taking a 5.5 per cent stake that looks like a white knight rescue attempt. Morningstar lowers our Uncertainty Rating from Extreme to very high after the results of the second bell inquiry were passed down. The scrutiny into Star’s suitability to hold a casino licence ended in the best plausible outcome that the company could have hoped for. Whilst they are currently deemed unsuitable to hold a casino license, the enquiry ruled that the license need not be revoked entirely. Star’s core asset is The Star Sydney, which at one point was generating ~70% of the group’s earnings as the only casino in Sydney.
In the absence of one or more of those arrangements, there remains material uncertainty as to the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern,” Star said. Star Entertainment will sell its stake in the new Queen’s Wharf web security casino and entertainment complex in Brisbane, a deal that will give the company enough cash to stave off collapse for several months. Strict new gambling rules and fewer tourists at the casino operator’s flagship Sydney establishment have pushed the company into a loss for the past three months. The largest shareholder of the pubs and bottle shop giant said it wants more say in the company’s strategy ahead of new CEO Jayne Hrdlicka’s arrival. The Star Entertainment Group Limited is currently rated five stars by our Analyst Rating and trades at 0.4 of its price to fair value on a $0.27 share price (as at 1st October 2024). On the other hand, Star continues to face potential operational risk at its Queensland facilities. This stems from material uncertainty around the considerable Australian casino bonus offers and terms Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (“AUSTRAC”) fine after alleged non-compliance with Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.
Star announced as recently as 19 August that its report for the financial year ended 30 June 2024 would be published on 31 August. The company, which owns and operates 19 venues in the United States, has offered a $250 million recapitalisation proposal that would hand it control. Bally’s Corp (BALY) makes a surprise $158M bid for Australia’s Star Entertainment (EHGRF) to recapitalize assets. Shares edge higher; banks lift; Star’s sharemarket return; ANZ tips 40pc chance of recession; WiseTech’s board update; two MinRes directors exit. The Casino tower suites Instagram operator has been negotiating with its lenders over changes to covenants on borrowings of more than $400 million. Australia’s publicly traded wealth management firms are drawing interest from investors attracted to the country’s thriving pension system. Insignia, formerly known as IOOF, oversees approximately $327 billion in client assets, making it the third-largest player in Australia’s superannuation sector.
The Queen’s Wharf joint venture development in Brisbane commands $2.6 billion of the spending with a 99-year lease and 25-year exclusivity period. Morningstar expects the extensive capital investment in Queensland to weigh on the near-term returns on invested capital. Further, we also believe the capital committed to facilities in Queensland might be disproportionate to the size of the addressable market. The company was forced to suspend its shares from trading on the ASX for weeks while it reviewed the report – which called its integrity to hold a casino license into question – and its implications for company financials.
Exchange operator ASX automatically suspended shares in Star on Monday morning after the casino operator missed Friday’s deadline for issuing its earnings update for the first half of the financial year. There remains a large amount of uncertainty surrounding the future of Star’s earnings recovery. The pending AUSTRAC fine, eventual outcome of its casino license and a probable capital raise in the coming months all weigh heavy on its future performance. The collapse in earnings since fiscal 2024 has indicated Star might not have sufficient liquidity to Stay Casino Australian top slots 2026 afloat amidst near-term earnings headwinds, the AUSTRAC fine and equity contributions to redevelopment. With a $200 million emergency debt facility at a rate of 13.5%, it appears Star may be buying time ahead of a potentially value-dilutive equity raise in fiscal 2025. Queensland is currently the only state where Star holds an exclusive position and consequently the company is throwing substantial amounts of capital (~$3 billion) in ensuring it stays that way.