Queensland’s gambling regulator, the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR), is in hot water following revelations it had not prosecuted any casino operator in the last five financial years. The agency has now been accused of being “asleep at the wheel” by a whistleblower with inside knowledge of how things are going in the state’s casino sector.
No Prosecutions Made Against Operators Since 2017
According to figures released by the OLGR, no prosecutions were made against any Queensland operator from 2017-2018 to 2021-2022. During the same period, the regulator catered to 3,669 reported incidents and carried out 281 investigations. It also issued 522 warnings and imposed multiple fines on casino staff and customers, and prosecuted one casino employee over fraud charges. However, no casino operator out of the four operating in the state had ever been prosecuted under the law.
Casinos Intentionally Mislead Regulators
The source said the OLGR relied greatly on self-reporting by casino operators, which is not effective as operators tend to “intentionally mislead” authorities. The whistleblower also said that the oversight body couldn’t pursue real penalties because it needed to consider government opinion on certain issues in the industry.
Star Entertainment, which has been the subject of license suitability inquiries over money laundering and organized crime allegations, operates two casinos in Queensland – the Star Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane. It was recently found unsuitable to hold a license in New South Wales. Queensland is due to release the final report on its own inquiry into the gambling giant.