Posted on: June 18, 2026, 09:43h.
Last updated on: June 18, 2026, 09:43h.
- The former CEO of Star Entertainment has been fined A$700,000
- Matt Bekier is additionally barred from corporate leadership for six years
- Australia’s Federal Court ruled the executive failed in his legal liabilities
Former Star Entertainment CEO and Managing Director Matt Bekier has been fined nearly $500,000 and banned from holding any corporate leadership role in Australia for six years.
On Wednesday, the Federal Court of Australia banned Bekier from managing a company within the country for six years and issued him a fine of A$700,000 (US$492,000). The court additionally barred former Star Chief Legal & Risk Officer Paula Martin A$400,000 and a seven-year executive ban.
Both penalties were the result of the court finding in March that Bekier and Martin failed in their duties to protect Star casinos from being used by illicit organizations, namely, Macau junket group Suncity.
The Liability Judgment failures by senior officers of a publicly listed casino operator to respond appropriately to information bearing upon various legal, regulatory, and reputational risks regarding Star’s dealings with junkets, particularly its largest junket customer, Suncity,” the court’s reasons for judgement read.
Star Entertainment is Australia’s second-largest gaming operator behind Crown Resorts. The company, controlled by Bally’s Corporation since its 2025 rescue, operates The Star Brisbane, The Star Gold Coast, and The Star Sydney.
Star Served as Money Laundromat
The Australian court, with the benefit of state inquiries in Queensland and New South Wales, ruled that the Star executives looked the other way when it came to safeguarding the company’s casino floors against money laundering. The court determined that Star promoted its gaming facilities to known bad actors and criminal organizations by aligning with Suncity, once the largest VIP junket group in China’s Macau, to bring high rollers Down Under.
Suncity and Star were accused of violating Chinese law by actively promoting casino gambling on the mainland. In January 2023, Suncity founder Alvin Chau was sentenced to 18 years in a Chinese prison for running an illegal gambling network.
Federal Court Justice Michael Lee said Bekier and Martin did not demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the seriousness of their breaches. After being repeatedly asked about the company’s Suncity relationship, the court found that Lee and Martin didn’t properly probe the partnership or investigate claims regarding Suncity’s improper business model.
It is one thing to regret the consequences of having been investigated and sued; it is another to demonstrate an appreciation of why the conduct found by the Court involved serious failures in the discharge of duties owed by senior officers of a casino operator,” said Lee.
In 2022, the NSW and Queensland governments fined Star Entertainment A$200 million for anti-money laundering failures. This month, NSW further fined Star A$10 million for four disciplinary and regulatory breaches, with a A$5 million penalty related to “systemic failures” in Star Sydney’s financial crimes risk operations.
Bally’s Cleanup
Since Bally’s acquired a 56.7% stake in Star last year for a A$300 million, regulators in Australia say the casino empire has largely cleaned up its act.
“We have seen considerable progress at The Star under its new leadership,” NSW Independent Casino Commission Chief Commissioner Philip Crawford said recently. “The NICC is confident that the revised remediation workstreams, the expertise of Bally’s Corporation, and the technological uplift that has taken place since these breaches occurred have made a materially significant improvement in The Star’s remediation progress.”
