Star Entertainment tumbles on fresh warning, ASX rises, Trump meme coin price swings as it happened

Star Entertainment has managed to avoid financial collapse for now after signing a deal to sell its stake in Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf best casino nights to its two equity partners along with other assets. Star Entertainment halted trading of its shares on Friday after a state-level BlackCoin casino tips regulator issued a damning report accusing the group of failing to clean up a culture of money laundering and fraud. Australia’s largest publicly traded casino operator has been temporarily suspended from the country’s stock exchange after failing to lodge its annual financial results. Star chief executive Steve McCann has been negotiating to lock in a different package which would leave the company’s Queen’s Wharf complex in Brisbane with two Hong Kong investors. That deal is backed by alternative asset manager Salter Brothers and includes a $750 million refinancing.
Both groups used a model banned by almost every jurisdiction in the world, apart from Macau. They allowed outsiders to run private gambling operations within the confines of their casinos. That paved the way for organised Chinese crime syndicates to launder money in best mobile slots apps 2026 Australia. On Friday, withdrawal options crypto the shares briefly dropped below 20c, valuing the group at just $1.2 billion. Strip away the huge money-laundering operation from mainland Chinese-based criminal gangs, and the business model upon which Australia’s two big casino groups has been built suddenly is under threat. That annoying little slogan tacked on to the end of every broadcast gambling advertisement, as a warning to those with an addiction, has come back to bite PayID casino top slots owners and investors.
Don’t worry, though – you’re not locked in, and can cancel your auto-renewal at any time before each ‘anniversary’ date without question or penalty. Sign Up for Take Stock Investment news, stock ideas, and more, straight to your inbox. The stock has been crushed, but one major broker thinks the worst may be behind it. In a report to clients, analyst Matt Ryan suggested that the Sydney casino property could be valued as low as $8 million, according to The Australian.
If funding isn’t secured, Star will face the prospect of entering voluntary administration, which would see independent administrators appointed to manage affairs on behalf of creditors, and attempt to rescue operations. Shares in Star Entertainment have been suspended from trading on the stock exchange after it failed to lodge its financial results. Calix Ltd has seen its shares soar to 60cps on Monday trades after announcing it’s teaming up with none other than Rio Tinto. Most Star employees are based in Sydney, and despite recent troubles, its Pyrmont site remains a major tourism destination, with 650 hotel rooms and 36 food and beverage venues. In February, Star said it had received an $650 million offer from US alternative asset manager Oaktree Capital to refinance its debt.
Before signing the accounts, a board of directors must be satisfied that the company is a “going concern” – that it can pay its debts when they fall due. We’ve obviously been working with them over a period of time on a range of issues, including the importance of the employment that is there, and will continue to do so,” she said. Bruce Mathieson, who operates poker machine and pub empire Australian Liquor and Hospitality with Woolworths, holds about a 10 per cent share in Star and has been interested in buying the Gold Coast casino. It’s been facing serious operational challenges, burning through $107 million in three months and reporting an available cash balance of $79 million to the ASX in January. McCann, for years the chief executive of property group Lend Lease, knows a thing or two about gambling. In recent months, a series of senior executives appointed by Blackstone have parted ways with Crown Casino scratch card games including boss Ciaran Carruthers and his offsider Justin Casey.
Against all odds, Star Entertainment has managed to avoid sliding into administration for now. But its near demise poses bigger problems for a glittering world that risks being consigned to a bygone era. Hong Kong investors Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and Far East Consortium, which each own 25 per cent of the Brisbane complex, had agreed to buy Star’s 50 per cent stake for $53 million. In September last year, Star’s directors started getting advice on “safe harbour” provisions provided by the Corporations Act that would protect them from being personally liable for debts in the event that it cannot stay solvent.
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.