‘Urgent attention’: The desperate emails Star ignored before a tragic death

Scandal-tainted casino giant Star ignored multiple internal warnings to fix a glaring safety gap on the Sky Deck of Australia’s newest casino before a young casino worker used it to take her own life.

Leaked internal documents reveal that a year before the tragic June 2026 incident and then in repeated messages throughout 2025, Star and the consortium that owns Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf precinct failed to act on the urging of multiple senior staff to rectify the safety vulnerability.

The fresh leak comes after internal recordings and documents aired on Saturday and Monday by this masthead exposed serious concerns about the adequacy of compliance and problem gambling systems at Star.

On Monday, the ASX-listed operator posted a $307 million loss for the year ending June 30 . Gaming revenue – the money made from inside the casinos – fell more than 5 per cent to $756.2 million as its auditors expressed significant doubts about the group’s survival prospects.

Star has struggled to make money from its casinos since 2022, when two state government inquiries found a litany of compliance failures. The reviews led to a cleanout of management as well as new regulations that limit cash spending and require detailed checks on customers. Its financial position has been strained for years, a situation that will be made worse by an impending fine from the financial crimes watchdog for historical misconduct .

Star’s Sydney licence is suspended and has been overseen for almost four years by independent administrator, Nick Weeks. Its licences to operate the Gold Coast and Brisbane casinos are not suspended but are also under Weeks’ oversight. A decision on whether Star is able to operate its own licences is due in September.

NSW casino regulator Philip Crawford said on Monday he had ordered a fresh inquiry into the weekend revelations as he weighs the decision to hand Star back its licence.

A spokesman for Queensland’s Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation said the regulator had also sought “urgent advice” from Weeks following the investigation’s publication.

The latest documents show Star ignored repeated warnings from managers throughout 2025 to fix a major and obvious safety flaw at its flagship Brisbane complex. The concerns were driven by the fear it could be used by people wanting to take their lives – a known risk at any casino given the psychological impact of gambling.

A first written warning was sent by a senior Star manager in Brisbane in May 2025.