Two of Sydney’s highest-profile casino operators are facing combined fines of AU$2.25 million after a regulatory investigation uncovered a stunning failure in age verification: a 16-year-old boy used a fake driver’s license to enter and gamble at both venues multiple times over four months, even gaining elite customer status at one location.
Between April and August 2025, the underaged teen accessed Crown Sydney 19 separate occasions, and in many visits was even accompanied by his own mother. During these entries, he was served free complimentary alcohol, allowed to place wagers, and ultimately worked his way up to silver-tier membership in the casino’s customer loyalty program. He also successfully entered The Star Sydney three times without any staff identifying his false identification.
The breaches were uncovered following a joint probe by Liquor and Gaming NSW, which referred the case to the state’s independent Casino Commission (NICC) for disciplinary action. The regulator imposed a AU$1.75 million fine on Crown Sydney, where the vast majority of the teen’s activity occurred, while The Star Sydney received a AU$500,000 penalty for its own security lapses.
Philip Crawford, Chief Commissioner of the NICC, noted that both casinos have already moved to overhaul their security protocols following the scandal, rolling out additional staff training and updating identity verification systems to catch fake documentation more effectively. Crawford acknowledged that both venues had accepted full responsibility for their systemic failures, but emphasized that the severity of the infractions could not be understated.
“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,” Crawford said. “In the case of Crown Sydney, this also included the illegal service and consumption of complimentary alcohol.”
Separately, Liquor and Gaming NSW issued a five-year ban on the teen entering any casino in the state, with the ban set to go into effect once the minor turns 18. Dimitri Argeres, executive director of Liquor and Gaming NSW, called the breakdown in age verification safeguards unacceptable, noting that the incident left a vulnerable young person exposed to harm from gambling.
“Where breaches are identified, we will investigate and refer matters to the NICC for disciplinary action,” Argeres said.
In a statement following the ruling, a spokesperson for Crown Sydney emphasized that the venue takes its regulatory obligations to block underage access extremely seriously. The spokesperson noted that the teen used a convincing fraudulent license to bypass checks, and that Crown Sydney notified regulators immediately after discovering the underage entry, then fully cooperated with the subsequent investigation.
“Crown has continued to strengthen its processes and controls, including enhanced ID fraud detection measures, additional staff training, and new verification technology,” the spokesperson added.
Requests for comment from The Star Sydney have not yet returned a public response. This is not the first high-profile penalty for Australian casino operators in recent months: former Star Entertainment Group CEO was recently fined AU$700,000 over regulatory breaches, and another Australian casino was hit with a major fine over permitting 36-hour non-stop gambling bends.