Star City Casino
Encyclopedia
The Star Sydney Casino & Hotel (formerly Star City Casino and prior to that, Sydney Harbour Casino) in Pyrmont
, Sydney
, is the second largest casino in Australia
after rival Melbourne
's Crown Casino
. Overlooking Darling Harbour, The Star Sydney Casino features two gaming floors, eight bars
, seven restaurant
s, 351 hotel
rooms and 130 serviced and privately owned apartments. It also includes the 2,000 seat Lyric Theatre
. 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
, in late 2008, it was granted a 12 year extension of its exclusivity and licence.
In 2009, Tabcorp, the owners of The Star, announced 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 and drop-off zone on the harbour side of the casino site. Work began in late 2009 and is expected to be completed in 2012. The program - originally quoted as A$475 million - is just short of $1 billion. According to Echo Entertainment CEO, Larry Mullin costs are estimated to be around A$961 million. On 16 September 2011, the casino reopened under the name "The Star".
In June 2011, Tabcorp split into two separate divisions, Tabcorp and Echo Entertainment. Echo Entertainment is in charge of Tabcorp's casino and hotel division to allow for better infrastructure for both companies to flourish.
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
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.
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 amount of tables or machines available in total. The main gaming floor is divided into three major parts — Table Games, Electronic Gaming, and Poker
. The amount of poker
tables has been steadily increased and now stands at 30 tables.
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 Vermilion Room. This is accessed by invitation only, and there are currently less than 100 Vermilion Card Members that are entitled to use the Vermilion Room. Star City has recently opened the sports bar as well.
, Blackjack
, Caribbean Stud, Craps
, Pai Gow
, Poker
, Pontoon
, Roulette
, Rapid(semi-electronic) Roulette, Sic Bo
, Three card poker
, and Four-Card Poker .
Two-Up
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 games 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.
s, bingo
, rapid roulette and video poker machines. 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.
for prosecution.
In 2000 the $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.
The Star has a large variety of restaurants ranging from five star fine dining to a Subway
outlet. Not all the restaurants are managed by The Star with a number of outlets being privately managed . The Star's Garden Buffet is known for its all you can eat prawn
buffet.
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.
was filmed in a private gaming room at the casino. The game was dealt by experienced Star City croupiers; however, it was not a success. Also filmed several episodes of the Australian version of Beauty and the Geek. The now defunct Ralph magazine shot its swimsuit model of the year competition at Turbines Health Club (Pool and gym for the hotel and apartments).
Pyrmont, New South Wales
Pyrmont is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Pyrmont is located 2 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, is the second largest casino in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
after rival Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
's Crown Casino
Crown Casino
Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex is a large casino and entertainment precinct located on the south bank of the Yarra River, in Melbourne, Australia. Crown Casino is a unit of Crown Limited....
. Overlooking Darling Harbour, The Star Sydney Casino features two gaming floors, eight bars
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
, seven restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s, 351 hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
rooms and 130 serviced and privately owned apartments. It also includes the 2,000 seat Lyric Theatre
Lyric Theatre, Sydney
Lyric Theatre, Sydney, Australia, is part of The Star Casino. It plays host to large scale musicals, theatre productions, opera and ballet.The Lyric Theatre was home to the world premier of Priscilla Queen of the Desert - the Musical....
. 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
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, in late 2008, it was granted a 12 year extension of its exclusivity and licence.
In 2009, Tabcorp, the owners of The Star, announced 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 and drop-off zone on the harbour side of the casino site. Work began in late 2009 and is expected to be completed in 2012. The program - originally quoted as A$475 million - is just short of $1 billion. According to Echo Entertainment CEO, Larry Mullin costs are estimated to be around A$961 million. On 16 September 2011, the casino reopened under the name "The Star".
In June 2011, Tabcorp split into two separate divisions, Tabcorp and Echo Entertainment. Echo Entertainment is in charge of Tabcorp's casino and hotel division to allow for better infrastructure for both companies to flourish.
Gaming
High roller
A high roller, also referred to as a whale in the casino industry, is a gambler who wagers large amounts of money. High rollers often receive lavish "perks" from casinos to lure them onto the gambling floors, such as free private jet transfers, limousine use and use of the casinos' best suites...
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.
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 amount of tables or machines available in total. The main gaming floor is divided into three major parts — Table Games, Electronic Gaming, and Poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
. The amount of poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
tables has been steadily increased and now stands at 30 tables.
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 Vermilion Room. This is accessed by invitation only, and there are currently less than 100 Vermilion Card Members that are entitled to use the Vermilion Room. Star City has recently opened the sports bar as well.
Table Games
Star City provides many traditional casino games, including Mini BaccaratBaccarat
Baccarat is a card game, played at casinos and by gamblers. It is believed to have been introduced into France from Italy during the reign of King Charles VIII , and it is similar to Faro and Basset...
, Blackjack
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
, Caribbean Stud, Craps
Craps
Craps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other or a bank...
, Pai Gow
Pai Gow
Pai gow is a Chinese gambling game, played with a set of Chinese dominoes. Pai gow is played in unsanctioned casinos in most Chinese communities...
, Poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
, Pontoon
Pontoon (game)
Pontoon is an unlicensed variant of the American game Spanish 21 that is played in Australian, Malaysian and Singaporean casinos, in Treasury Casino, Brisbane, it is known as Treasury 21...
, Roulette
Roulette
Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
, Rapid(semi-electronic) Roulette, Sic Bo
Sic bo
Sic bo , also known as tai sai , dai siu , big and small or hi-lo, is an unequal game of chance played with three dice, and of ancient Chinese origin. Grand hazard and chuck-a-luck are variants, and of English origin...
, Three card poker
Three card poker
Poker played with three cards dates back to the origins of the game of poker. As a result it's as unclear as the origins of poker, but includes the 16th century British card game of Brag. Rules for three card poker are included in Hoyle's Rules of Games from 1983 along with a hi-low...
, and Four-Card Poker .
Two-Up
Two-up
Two-up is a traditional Australian gambling game, involving a designated 'Spinner' throwing two or three coins into the air. Players gamble on whether the coins will fall with both heads up, both tails up, or with one coin a head, and one a tail...
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 games 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 machineSlot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s, bingo
Bingo (US)
Bingo is a game of chance played with randomly drawn numbers which players match against numbers that have been pre-printed on 5x5 matrices. The matrices may be printed on paper, card stock or electronically represented and are referred to as cards. Many versions conclude the game when the first...
, rapid roulette and video poker machines. Rapid Big Wheel was introduced in early 2006 to replace the often slow paced table game version
Big Six wheel
The Big Six wheel, also known simply as The Big Six or Wheel of Fortune, is an unequal game of chance, played using a large vertical wheel that can be spun....
, 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
Like 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 systemAustralian court hierarchy
There are two streams within the hierarchy of Australian courts, the federal stream and the state and territory stream. While the federal courts and the court systems in each state and territory are separate, the High Court of Australia remains the ultimate court of appeal for the Australian...
for prosecution.
In 2000 the $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
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
outlet. Not all the restaurants are managed by The Star with a number of outlets being privately managed . The Star's Garden Buffet is known for its all you can eat prawn
Prawn
Prawns are decapod crustaceans of the sub-order Dendrobranchiata. There are 540 extant species, in seven families, and a fossil record extending back to the Devonian...
buffet.
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.
Pop culture
The first 12 episodes of Australian TV Series Joker PokerJoker Poker
Joker Poker was a late night Australian poker program on Network Ten which aired in 2005 and 2006. Series one was hosted by Adam Spencer, with series two hosted by Mike Goldman. Both series were co-hosted by New Zealand poker pro Lee Nelson and Australian model Laura Weston acted as hostess...
was filmed in a private gaming room at the casino. The game was dealt by experienced Star City croupiers; however, it was not a success. Also filmed several episodes of the Australian version of Beauty and the Geek. The now defunct Ralph magazine shot its swimsuit model of the year competition at Turbines Health Club (Pool and gym for the hotel and apartments).