Sydney's Star and Crown casinos fined after 16yo gambled multiple times

Crown Sydney has been hit with a hefty fine after a 16-year-old boy used a fake ID to enter its casino multiple times. The Star has also been fined $500,000 after the teenager was let in three times to its Sydney venue. What's next? Both casinos have committed to implementing "additional remediation measures" including improved identity verification. Crown Sydney has been fined $1.75 million after a 16-year-old boy was granted entry to the casino's gaming areas on 19 occasions, given silver membership status, and illegally served free alcohol. The NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC) revealed the boy used a fraudulent drivers licence to gain access to the Barangaroo venue between April and August 2025. He was also let into The Star Sydney three times during that period, also using the fake ID. The Star has been fined $500,000. The NICC imposed the penalties after an investigation by Liquor and Gaming NSW. "The breakdown in safeguards that allowed a vulnerable young person to repeatedly access casino gaming areas and suffer actual harm is unacceptable," the watchdog's executive director of regulatory operations Dimitri Argeres said. NICC Chief Commissioner Philip Crawford said the boy had "gambled away a significant amount of money" during his visits. "The NICC acknowledges that both casinos have accepted responsibility for the significant failures in their identity verification and customer onboarding processes which have allowed this minor to enter their venues," Mr Crawford said. "However, this does not diminish the seriousness of allowing a 16-year-old to enter casino gaming areas … in the case of Crown Sydney this also included the illegal service and consumption of complimentary alcohol. "Maintaining effective identity verification processes is not only a necessary tool in the protection of minors but for detecting fraud and criminal activity in New South Wales casinos." Mother present on some visits In a statement to the ABC, a Crown spokesperson said the child's mother had been with him during some of his visits to the casino. "Crown Sydney takes its obligations in relation to minors and the use of false identification extremely seriously," the spokesperson said. "We notified the regulator after becoming aware the individual was underage and have co-operated with its investigation." The ABC has also contacted The Star for comment. As well as the fines, Mr Crawford said both casinos had committed to implementing "additional remediation measures" in the wake of the incident. These include improving their identity verification and customer onboarding processes, along with additional staff training. The boy has also been banned from attending either casino for a five-year period, starting from when he turns 18.