Star Entertainment cut its compliance team from 17 staff to four this year, according to leaked internal documents reported by Australian media. Risk management staff fell from five to two.
The documents state that understaffing creates 'significant and growing' regulatory risk and threatens the return of gaming licences in New South Wales and Queensland. The leak also reveals April 2026 discussions of two budget versions for the Brisbane casino: one described as achievable, the other 'submitted to the banks' funding Destination Brisbane Consortium.
Star Brisbane CFO Richard Chan told media the alternative budget was a high-level internal model and that to his knowledge nothing was submitted to the banks.
The cuts followed last year's ownership change, when Bruce Mathieson Jr became chief executive and Bally's Corporation and the Mathieson family injected capital to rescue the group. Sources claim corporate culture deteriorated after the takeover.
Special manager Nick Weeks, appointed by NSW and Queensland regulators, is due to decide the fate of Star's licences next month. The Star Sydney casino licence remains suspended over unresolved governance issues.
