Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and its associates are suitable to partner with The Star Entertainment Group’s Brisbane casino, according to a ruling from the attorney-general of Queensland.
CTFE is a 25 per cent interest-holder in Destination Brisbane Consortium, a joint venture which holds The Star Brisbane casino licence.
A suitability review was launched, conducted under the Casino Control Act 1982, which focused on various factors including character, honesty, integrity and past and future conduct. It concluded that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that CTFE or its relevant associates are unsuitable.
In a public statement, the attorney-general said that the investigation showed that CTFE had a previous business association with “a person subsequently shown to be a person of poor repute” which they did not disclose to the regulator.
However, the Attorney-General determined that the evidence “fell short” of establishing that CTFE knew that the relevant person was a person of poor repute during the period of the association, and that the allegations “lacked probative value” given it was based on suspicion, rumour and hearsay. On that basis, the investigation did not substantiate any motive for CTFE to intentionally conceal that business association from the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation.
The attorney-general also found that CTFE “lacked candour and fulsomeness” in several dealings with OLGR. This was put down to be based on “differences in cultural and organisational expectations,” concluding that “the evidence falls short of establishing that the concealment was deliberate.”
