The Star Sydney (formerly Star City Casino and prior to that, Sydney Harbour Casino) in
Pyrmont,
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, is the second largest
casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
after
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
's
Crown Casino
Crown Melbourne (also referred to as Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex) is a casino and resort located on the south bank of the Yarra River, in Melbourne, Australia. Crown Casino is a unit of Crown Limited, and the first casino of the n ...
. Overlooking
Darling Harbour
Darling Harbour is a harbour adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia that is made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central business district.
Origin ...
, The Star, owned by
Star Entertainment Group
The Star Entertainment Group Limited is an Australian gambling and entertainment company. The company was formerly known as Echo Entertainment.
Properties
The Star Entertainment owns and operates the Treasury Casino & Hotel, The Star Gold Coast a ...
features two gaming floors, one
bars, 3
restaurant
A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...
s, 351
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
rooms and 130 serviced and privately owned apartments. It also includes the 2,000 seat
Sydney Lyric
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains ...
theatre and 3,000-seat Event Centre. Its gaming operations are overseen and controlled by the New South Wales Casino Control Authority and is licensed to be the only legal casino in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
. In late 2007, it was granted a 12-year extension of its exclusivity and licence.
In December 1994, a consortium of
Leighton Properties and
Showboat
A showboat, or show boat, was a floating theater that traveled along the waterways of the United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, to bring culture and entertainment to the inhabitants of river frontiers. Showboats were a ...
was announced by the NSW Casino Control Authority as the successful applicant for New South Wales' first casino licence. A temporary casino was opened by
Acting Prime Minister
An acting prime minister is a cabinet member (often in Westminster system countries) who is serving in the role of prime minister, whilst the individual who normally holds the position is unable to do so. The role is often performed by the deputy ...
Kim Beazley
Kim Christian Beazley (born 14 December 1948) is an Australian former politician and diplomat. He was leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 1996 to 2001 and 2005 to 2006, having previously been a cabinet ...
on 13 September 1995 on the site of former wharves 12/13. The permanent casino, designed by Sydney architect,
Philip Cox
Philip Sutton Cox (born 1 October 1939) is an Australian architect. Cox is the founding partner of Cox Architecture, one of the largest architectural practices in Australia.
He commenced his first practice with Ian McKay in 1962, and ...
, opened on 27 November 1997, was one of the largest building projects ever carried out in Australia. The complex is now owned by The Star Entertainment Group.
Gaming
![Starcitycasino](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Starcitycasino.jpg)
The casino features two gaming floors — the main gaming floor on level one for general entry and the ''Sovereign Room'' on level three. The ''Sovereign Room'' table bet ranges from $25 to $75,000 and also contains the ''Inner Sanctum'', with table bet ranges of $100 to $500,000. The two areas are only available to
high roller
A high roller, also referred to as a whale or cheetah, is a gambler who consistently wagers large amounts of money. High rollers often receive lavish " comps" from casinos to lure them onto the gambling floors, such as free private jet transfers ...
s and international guests following an application for membership and review by The Star's management. The ''Inner Sanctum'' pits are frequently used for junket players. Star City returned to junket play in 2005 after taking a number of large losses in 2002.
![The Star Casino](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/The_Star_Casino.jpg)
Recent rebuilding works have added extra gaming areas for the main gaming floor with the addition of the Oasis Lounge and the 36 Degrees Bar although these new areas have not increased the number of tables or machines available in total. The main gaming floor is divided into three major parts — Table Games, Electronic Gaming, and
Poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
. The number of poker tables has been steadily increased and now stands at 40 tables.
![The Star Event Centre](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/The_Star_Event_Centre.png)
The Sovereign Room has been upgraded and now includes four additional private gaming rooms and extra dining and lounge amenities. These extensions have an estimated cost of $7,000,000. Another recent upgrade is the addition of a new "ultra exclusive" area directly above the Sovereign Room called the Chairmans Lounge. This is accessed by invitation only, and there are currently fewer than 500 Diamond Card Members that are entitled to use the Chairmans Lounge. Star City has recently opened the sports bar as well.
Table games
The Star provides many traditional casino games, including Mini
Baccarat
Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game played at casinos. It is a comparing card game played between two hands, the "player" and the "banker". Each baccarat coup (round of play) has three possible outcomes: "player" (player has the higher score ...
,
Blackjack
Blackjack (formerly Black Jack and Vingt-Un) is a casino banking game. The most widely played casino banking game in the world, it uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as Twenty-One. This fami ...
,
Caribbean Stud,
Craps
Craps is a dice game in which players bet on the outcomes of the roll of a pair of dice. Players can wager money against each other (playing "street craps") or against a bank ("casino craps"). Because it requires little equipment, "street c ...
,
Pai Gow, Poker,
Pontoon,
Roulette
Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...
, Rapid (semi-electronic) Roulette,
Sic Bo and
Three card poker
Two-Up
Two-up is a traditional Australian gambling game, involving a designated "spinner" throwing two coins or pennies into the air. Players bet on whether the coins will fall with both heads (obverse) up, both tails (reverse) up, or with one coin ...
was available at Star City but was removed at the end of October 2003 as the game was not considered to be economically viable. The pit typically required three dealers and two games supervisors, consequently management felt that returns were not as high as they could be and with Tabcorp insisting on large reductions in overheads and increased profit, this iconic game was closed.
In December 2005, a new game ''Double-Chance'' was trialed but was discontinued soon after; Players, referring to the game's high house advantage, dubbed the game 'No-Chance'.
At the end of 2006, Star City introduced a new game, three card baccarat, following minor reorganization of its main gaming floor in preparation for the smoking ban in July 2007 and planned extensions to its gaming floors. This game was also removed from the floor shortly after due to lack of interest from players.
Electronic gaming
The Star provides a selection of electronic gaming machines, including
slot machine
A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively a ...
s,
bingo
Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Gaming
* Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers
** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland
** Bi ...
, rapid roulette and
video poker machine
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) systems ...
s. ''Rapid Big Wheel'' was introduced in early 2006 to replace the often slow-paced
table game version, which has now been reintroduced, and the Rapid Big Wheel removed in August 2007. The Star has just over 1490 electronic gaming machines but is limited to a maximum 1500.
Security
As in most casinos, the gaming floors of the venue are constantly monitored by a security camera system. Cameras mounted on the roof and in the table signs are used to ensure that all actions are logged. The footage can be used to settle player disputes, identify cheating, and be used in the
Australian court system for
prosecution
A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...
.
$500 chips were removed from the casino after fraudulent chips were found. Some chips did make their way into the bank due to limited security features on the chips.
Restaurants and bars
The Star has a large variety of restaurants including five star fine dining. Not all the restaurants are managed by The Star with a number of outlets being privately managed. The Star's Harvest Buffet is known for its all you can eat buffet with seafood buffet over the weekend.
The Star operates eight bars within the complex with a further two outlets designated as bars and another two external independent outlets able to serve alcohol. Bars within the gaming area are not accessible to minors (persons under 18). Some bars have live entertainment, mostly on weekends. The Lagoon Bar and Glo Bar closed in 2009 as part of the refurbishment project.
Marquee
A new nightclub, known as the Marquee, opened on 31 March 2012.
Redevelopment
In 2009,
Tabcorp
Tabcorp is Australia's largest gambling company, employing more than 5,000 people. It is the largest provider of wagering and gaming products and services in Australia. Tabcorp is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).
History
In ...
, the then-owners of Star City, announced an A$475 million refurbishment and expansion program called ''Project Star'' which involved the re-orientation of the casino towards Sydney Harbour, including a new "iconic" entrance as well as a drop-off zone on the harbour side of the casino site. Work began in late 2009 and was completed late 2012. Despite initial cost estimates, according to
Echo Entertainment Group CEO, Larry Mullin the final cost was estimated to be around A$961 million. On 16 September 2011, the casino reopened under the name "The Star".
Popular culture
![The Star Casino - Vivid Sydney 2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/The_Star_Casino_-_Vivid_Sydney_2015.jpg)
The venue has featured awards nights including playing host to the annual film and television
AACTA Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...
. The first 12 episodes of the 2005-06 Australian television series ''
Joker Poker
''Joker Poker'' was a late night Australian poker program on Network Ten which aired in 2005 and 2006. The 2005 edition was hosted by Adam Spencer, with the second and final edition hosted by Mike Goldman. Both were co-hosted by New Zealand po ...
'' was filmed in a private gaming room at the casino. The game was dealt by experienced The Star croupiers; however the show was not a success. Also filmed there were several episodes of ''
Beauty and the Geek Australia
''Beauty and the Geek Australia'' is an Australian reality television series based on the US series ''Beauty and the Geek'' created by Ashton Kutcher. Following the premise of the original show, the show follows a group of "Beauties" (women who ...
''. The now defunct ''
Ralph
Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf").
The most common forms ...
'' magazine shot its swimsuit model of the year competition at Turbines Health Club (pool and gym for the hotel and apartments).
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Australian comedians
Alex Apollonov of
I Did a Thing and
Aleksa Vulovic partnered with
The Chaser
The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedy group, best known for their television programmes and satirical news masthead. The group take their name from their satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste. The ...
to create a comedic investigation where they attempted to enter The Star casino while displaying as many Covid-19 symptoms as possible to see whether they would be allowed inside during the pandemic. In one attempt, Aleksa tried entering the casino while dressed in hospital surgical garbs, dragging an IV drip stand on wheels, with a high forehead temperature. Despite telling the casino staff that he had come straight from a nearby hospital, he was allowed to enter the casino where he spent his time using the gaming machines while wearing a white shirt saying "I have covid" in bold black letters. "When I rocked up with my hospital gown and drip, the first thing they asked me was whether I had a Star Casino gold membership card." Alex Apollonov followed Aleksa into the casino with a forehead temperature of 48 degrees (achieved using heat packs), which the staff detected with a temperature gun and was still allowed entry to the casino. "My head was still really hot after I got inside," said Apollonov. "I must have drunk 3 or 4 of their complimentary water bottles. They're obviously very used to catering for sick customers." When asked about possible legal repercussions over their comedic stunt, Vulovic replied: "There's no point suing us, we already lost all our savings on big wheel during our filming breaks."
References
External links
*
NSW Casino Control Authority
{{DEFAULTSORT:Star, The
Boxing venues in Australia
Buildings and structures in Sydney
Casinos in Australia
Casinos completed in 1997
Hotel buildings completed in 1997
Hotels in Sydney
Tourist attractions in Sydney
1995 establishments in Australia
Casino hotels
Philip Cox buildings
Pyrmont, New South Wales
Star Entertainment Group