The longer-term investment case is clouded by the threat of Crown Sydney, liquidity risk and tightening regulatory measures. This article explores the once monopolistic establishment and why we believe its trading over 50% below its fair value. Star Entertainment’s shares will remain suspended for at least another week as the crypto casino operator’s chief executive, Steve McCann, tries to secure the last of a series of deals critical for the company to stay solvent.
While Star has pointed to an unnamed party as key to its survival, it has not provided any details as it continues to negotiate a deal. The Australian Financial Review can reveal that this prospective financier is Salter Brothers, led by wealthy businessmen Paul and Robert Salter and backed by offshore funds. "I would note that the regulatory environment and challenges [of] technology upgrades and other matters we’re dealing with in Australia are quite unique to the Australian market. The NSW and Queensland governments have shown little interest in bailing out the company, and on Friday they pointed to the impact of Star’s precarious situation on jobs.
Embattled Lucky Elf casino data protection operator Star Entertainment is facing a fresh blow, with a deal to exit a major Brisbane development on the brink of collapse. But in a sign of its deepening financial woes, Star has reiterated there is material uncertainty about its ability to continue operating. Star Entertainment chief executive Steve McCann has warned the Aus96 high roller casino group is still battling negative cash flows, and begged shareholders and lenders for patience as he attempts to turn around the business. Star is looking for a financial lifeline to stave off collapse after it was mired in a scandal involving criminal infiltration and money laundering in its Queensland and New South Wales casinos. The Treasure Casino e-wallets giant said it was anticipating a funding deal on Friday which it would consider, but again warned of the possibility of facing financial collapse.
Earlier this month Star confirmed its partners in the Queen's Wharf facility — Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTF) and Far East Consortium (FEC) — have offered to buy out its share. United Workers Union casinos director Andrew Jones said there was growing frustration amongst staff towards Star's "business as usual" approach. The company employs 9,000 people across Queensland and New South Wales, with 3,000 in Brisbane, about 2,000 on the Gold Coast and 3,500 in Sydney, as well as about 400 corporate staff. Star was reported to be considering a $650 million debt refinancing offer from Oaktree Capital Management last week.
Oxfam's latest inequality report has found the world's top 10 richest people (all men) made a whopping $150 million a day last year. It found that half of those using account-based pensions draw their super down at the legislated minimum rate. The ABC's resident economics guru Alan Kohler has hammered out this piece, the first of what will be a weekly column on Mondays this year, on the entrenched US exceptionalism and its extraordinary productivity gains in recent times.
In the absence of one or more of those arrangements, there remains material uncertainty as to the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern," Star said. Star Entertainment will sell its stake in the new Queen’s Wharf best casino withdrawal times and entertainment complex in Brisbane, a deal that will give the company enough cash to stave off collapse for several months. Strict new gambling rules and fewer tourists at the Gibraltar casino license operator’s flagship Sydney establishment have pushed the company into a loss for the past three months. The largest shareholder of the pubs and bottle shop giant said it wants more say in the company’s strategy ahead of new CEO Jayne Hrdlicka’s arrival. The Star Entertainment Group Limited is currently rated five stars by our Analyst Rating and trades at 0.4 of its price to fair value on a $0.27 share price (as at 1st October 2024). On the other hand, Star continues to face potential operational risk at its Queensland facilities. This stems from material uncertainty around the considerable Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre ("AUSTRAC") fine after alleged non-compliance with Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.
