The adage “you do the crime you do the time” springs to mind when listening to Star Entertainment’s protestations that if stung with a legal fine of $400 million for money laundering, it will go broke.

And its no idle threat from the casino operator, which narrowly escaped bankruptcy two months ago after a US-based white knight (Bally’s) agreed to lead a rescue mission that involved injecting $300 million into the business.

Star has so far only received $100 million, just enough to keep the doors open for a few months, with the rest to come later.

Will Star be fined out of existence?Credit: Sam Mooy

So, Star simply doesn’t have a lazy $400 million lying around even as the financial transaction regulator, AUSTRAC, asks a federal court judge to throw the book at the casino operator. According to AUSTRAC, $400 million is the appropriate penalty for Star’s alleged serious and systemic non-compliance with Australia’s anti-money laundering and........

© Brisbane Times