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The Australian capital’s Star Sydney casino has had its license suspension extended for another six months.
The NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC) has extended the suspension of the Star Sydney’s casino licence for another six months, after a similar extension was made back in March. That means the suspension will be in place until at least March 31, 2026.
The NICC also confirmed in an open letter on September 25 that it would extend the term of The Star’s manager, Nick Weeks, who will continue to have oversight of casino operations. NICC Chief Commissioner Philip Crawford said in the announcement that there was still too much uncertainty surrounding The Star to consider reinstating its casino licence at this time.

“The NICC considers it appropriate to continue with the current arrangement so it can better assess the effectiveness of important remediation work and await the outcomes of other pressing financial matters concerning The Star,” Mr Crawford said. “The NICC understands the many challenges The Star is facing and is closely monitoring The Star’s progress as it works to prove it is capable of regaining its casino licence.”

Star Sydney’s response to the extended suspension

Star’s Group CEO and managing director Steve McCann has responded to the decision saying that the company is determined to return to a ‘safe and compliant’ running of the business.
“We acknowledge that there is more work to do, but we remain committed to delivering on our remediation plan to support the safe and compliant operation of our business,” said Mr McCann. “The Star is committed to continuing its transparent and constructive relationship with the Manager, the NICC and the New South Wales Government, and demonstrating to all its stakeholders its suitability as a licence holder as soon as possible.”
The casino has been operating under oversight since its license was first suspended back in October 2022, when the NICC ruled that the company was unsuitable to hold a casino licence. This comes after the Star Entertainment Group has been facing serious financial obstacles as well.

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection has shared a warning from Brightstar that more than 500 residents are affected by a data breach.
Brightstar Lottery Group, also known as IGT, has notified nearly 550 Connecticut residents that their information has been compromised in a recent data breach, warning them via the state’s Department of Consumer Protection. The gaming and lottery technology vendor said that those most impacted are Brightstar employees.
The company is based in Rhode Island, and the breach was limited to Brightstar’s corporate systems. Although it did not involve the lottery systems and didn’t interrupt any day-to-day operations, some employee data is thought to be affected. The details of what information may have been accessed has not been made public.
Next steps from Brightstar
The company has told affected individuals that no further action needs to be taken immediately. However, the advice is to keep a close eye on personal accounts, although Brightstar has hired a third party to provide identity monitoring for those affected for two years.
“Affected consumers do not need to take any immediate action,” wrote the Department of Consumer Protection in a statement. “You should review your personal records and utilize free credit report monitoring. Brightstar has hired Kroll to provide identity monitoring for 24 months. Affected consumers DO NOT need to pay for this service.”
The identity monitoring services paid for by Brightstar include credit monitoring, fraud consultation, and identity theft restoration. Anyone affected should expect to receive a letter from the company that will include instructions on how to activate their free credit monitoring services.
It’s important to be vigilant even in the receipt of this letter, with Brightstar asserting that it would not ask for any personal information or money to activate this service. Any requests for personal or financial information or payment are likely fraudulent.
If you receive a letter and are unsure if it is legitimate, residents are advised to contact DCP’s Gaming Division at DCP.Gaming@ct.gov.
This comes on the heels of a similar data breach at Boyd Gaming, and another in the UK for Betfair and Paddy Power over the summer.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0
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The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that William Hill breached consumer protection regulations with a recent promotion.
The ASA has ruled that UK betting shop chain William Hill has breached regulations that protect consumers by encouraging ‘irresponsible’ gambling practices in a recent promotion at one of its locations. The issue stems from a voucher issued to a customer offering a “£5 cash match on any game”, redeemable within a seven-hour period. Issued at 11:51 am on April 3, it was redeemable between 5:20 pm and 11:59 pm the same day for customers staking £50 or more before 5:20 pm.
What went against consumer protection regulations
The watchdog ruled that this was ‘socially undesirable by encouraging irresponsible use’, with the issue centering around the time-sensitive nature of the promotion. However, William Hill, while acknowledging that the time window was the same day as previous playing, argued that the voucher didn’t generate urgent pressure to continue playing, with ‘very few’ customers taking up the offer of the voucher within two hours.
The majority reportedly waited at least three hours, which the betting chain argues meant that customers left and then came back. William Hill argue that this contradicts ‘the suggestion that the redemption window pressured customers to remain in-shop or extend their play’.
The company also went on to assert that all staff in their betting shops get the right training to identify and act on signs of gambling-related harm, including repeated visits. It was also underlined to the ASA that William Hill’s gaming machines provide prompts to customers to remind them of their time and spend, while allowing customers to set their own limits.
Nonetheless, the ASA ultimately ruled that the timeframe between when the voucher was issued and when it was redeemable created an ‘incentive for repeated play within a short period.’ This goes against consumer protection regulations regarding gambling-related harm.
There is no fine for the promotion, but the ASA made clear that the voucher cannot be run again and future promotions from William Hill should not encourage irresponsible gaming.
Featured image: Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0
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India’s crackdown on illegal online betting continues with six simultaneous raids across the Telangana region.
Indian authorities set the tone for their attitude towards online gambling, which is illegal in the country, with a watchdog warning back in March before banning the practice in August. That followed the blocking of more than 1,500 gambling websites in July.
Now, the Telangana Criminal Investigation Department (CID) carried out simultaneous raids across six locations in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab in the first-of-its-kind nationwide crackdown on online gaming. This led to the arrest of eight alleged operators linked to illegal betting platforms.
The raids were carried out by six coordinated teams on Monday, September 22 and Tuesday, September 23. The targeted operators were identified using gaming apps, including Taj0077, Fairply.live, Andhra365, Vlbook, Telugu365 and Yes365.
What sparked the raids?
The eight alleged perpetrators are accused of allegedly tempting people into high-risk wagers that ended up in financial losses for several players. The raids saw the seizure of multiple hardware devices with data connected to the illegal betting networks.
The investigation remains ongoing, according to the CID, as reported by The Hindu. The data found on the hard drives is being examined to trace cash flow and digital footprints related to the operation.
Early findings suggest that the leaders of the organization could be based abroad, with those arrested so far thought to be local handlers working in the network in India. However, further investigation is expected to draw more conclusions about a potential wider syndicate behind the illegal gambling network.
The presence of illegal gaming networks was already warned about by Indian ministers ahead of passing the bill to ban online gambling. However, it’s worth noting that it’s not yet clear if this network sprang up before or after the ban in August.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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The historic Missouri Powerball winner has spoken to the press for the first time, although he is still keeping his anonymity.
After winning a massive $1.78 billion jackpot in the second-largest Powerball win ever, the lucky player has now spoken to the New York Post for the first time, while maintaining his anonymity. In Missouri, lottery winners can remain anonymous forever if they so choose.
He went down to the lottery headquarters in Jefferson City to claim the massive prize of a one-time payment of roughly $410.3 million on Monday, September 22.
“I’m like a homebody,” the winner said. “The perfect day is sitting at home doing what I do — relaxing. I’m a millionaire, a multimillionaire, and I’m doing laundry last night…”
The lucky ticket was bought for the September 6 drawing, where he played the winning numbers of 11, 23, 44, 61, 62 and the Powerball of 17 at a QuikTrip convenience store in St. Louis. Since the win was confirmed, he said that, despite feeling excited about the jackpot, it has certainly disrupted his usual routine.
“It’s the best problem I’ve ever had,” he said. When pressed on his plans, he said he and his wife were planning to take a year for themselves and some quality time, with plans to let his wife slow down work-wise.
“I’m going to just do me for a year,” he added. “She’s going to drag me out of town now!”
A record-breaking Powerball winner
The record-breaking jackpot must be split between the Missouri man and another player in Texas, but the share of $893.5 million still makes him the largest lottery prize winner ever in Missouri. He could have chosen to have the full amount paid in installments, or a one-time lump sum of roughly $410.3 million – which is the option he took.
There have been four winning Powerball jackpots so far in 2025, with the most recent taking place in California and earning a lucky player a $204.5 million payday on May 31.
Featured image: Heute.at, licensed under CC BY 4.0
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