Published
CasinoFinancialMarketingIndustryPayments

Star Entertainment to raise $800m after $988m hit on Sydney casino

After being forced to pay $100m in fines in both New South Wales and Queensland, the Star Entertainment is raising $800m at a substantial discount.

the_star
Listen To Article

The company said it would raise the money at a share price of $1.20 or a 21% discount from its most recent trading price.

The stock transaction was a need to get covenant relief from lenders, to whom the Star owed $1.3bn as of 31 December.

The equity raise will decrease the Star's net debt from $1.1bn to $431m and gearing from 2.7 to 0.8 times.

The company also disclosed that it would take a $988m impairment charge on the Star Sydney, which has struggled financially since the Bell report and at a time when the NSW government is debating imposing significant tax increases on gaming tables and poker machines.

Robbie Cooke, CEO and Managing Director of Star, said: “If those tax hikes went ahead in their current form, it would cost Star about $100m a year, basically doubling its tax bill and forcing it to take drastic measures.

"It does put the business in a very difficult position, and it would require very significant changes to the business."

For the six months ending 31 December, Star reported a net profit after tax revenue of $44m on $1bn, excluding the $988m impairment.

The Star Gold Coast's income increased to $276m throughout the time, 30% more than in 2019–20. The Star Sydney's $541m income represented a 14% decrease from pre-Covid time.

Meanwhile, a 1,500-person ballroom, a sky deck, over 50 restaurants, bars and cafés, luxury shopping and 7.5 hectares of public space are all included in the $2.9bn Queen's Wharf Brisbane project, which is scheduled to open in December.

Premium+ Connections
Premium
 
Premium
 
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium Connections
Consultancy
Executive Profiles
Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland
Mohegan
Mohegan Inspire
DraftKings
Follow Us

Company profile: Growe Partners

Dominate the Sports Betting Affiliate Arena with Growe Partn...

Company profile: GR8 Tech

The sportsbook provider discusses turning sportsbooks into a...

Analysing sports betting data from the African Cup of Nations 2024

Sports betting supplier Betby provides Gambling Insider with...

LiveScore Group: Football’s changing relationship with fans

Gambling Insider delves deeper into LiveScore’s Evolution...