NSW Independent Casino Commission fines two casinos over underage gambling

• The NSW Independent Casino Commission fined Crown Sydney AU$1.75 million and The Star Sydney AU$500,000 over breaches related to underage gambling
• An investigation found that a 16-year-old used a fake ID to gain access to the two casinos and gamble; on some occasions, the minor was also served complimentary alcohol
• NICC Chief Commissioner Philip Crawford comments on the matter

Two casinos in Australia received significant fines after a minor was able to enter their premises to gamble and, on some occasions, consume alcohol.

Confirmation about the monetary sanctions comes from the NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC).

Crown Sydney and The Star Sydney receive fines

Prior to the fines, Liquor and Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) initiated an investigation that looked into a potential breach involving a 16-year-old who gambled at two casinos.

Consequently, the agency referred the matter to the NICC for disciplinary action.

The latter agency, under the Casino Control Act 1992, has the power to take disciplinary action against casino operators in cases of serious breaches and impose fines of up to AU$100m.

Looking into the matter, the NICC fined Crown Sydney and The Star Sydney for allowing a minor to enter their premises and gamble. The breaches date back from April through August 2025.

The minor, a 16-year-old, visited the two casinos nearly two dozen times during the period in question.

At Crown Sydney, the minor gambled on 19 separate occasions and even obtained silver membership status, while also consuming complimentary alcoholic beverages.

On the other hand, the same 16-year-old gambled at The Star Sydney on three separate occasions.

The investigation into the breaches uncovered that the minor used a fraudulent driver’s license to gain entry into the two casinos.

A press release by the NICC confirms that Crown Sydney and The Star Sydney have taken extra measures, strengthening their identity verification and customer onboarding processes, while also offering additional training to their employees.

Still, Crown Sydney was fined AU$1.75m ($1.2m), while The Star Sydney received an AU$500,000 ($355,800) monetary sanction from the NICC.

In light of the breach, L&GNSW banned the minor for a five-year period from the two casinos, with his ban coming into effect the day he turns 18 years old.

The NSW regulatory agency will continue to monitor the compliance of casinos

L&GNSW’s Executive Director, Regulatory Operations, Dimitri Argeres, commented: "The breakdown in safeguards that allowed a vulnerable young person to repeatedly access casino gaming areas and suffer actual harm is unacceptable."

Moreover, he added: "L&GNSW will continue to monitor casino compliance with internal controls and other requirements designed to maintain the integrity of casino operations in NSW."

NICC’s Chief Commissioner, Philip Crawford, confirmed that the two casinos accepted the responsibility for failing to identify the minor and permitting the customer to gamble on multiple occasions.

"However, this does not diminish the seriousness of allowing a 16-year-old to enter casino gaming areas and gamble away a significant amount of money. In the case of Crown Sydney, this also included the illegal service and consumption of complimentary alcohol," he added.

Last but not least, Crawford pointed to the importance of having an effective identity verification process not only to protect minors but to prevent potential criminal activities at NSW casinos.

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