The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has taken former Star Entertainment CEO Matt Bekier to the Federal Court, seeking to ban him from managing any...
“Fortune teller” laundered $528K in Star Casino
Sydney’s Star Casino allowed Anya Phan, a self-proclaimed “fortune teller”, to launder around $528,000, despite casino officials knowing she was unemployed and living off a $246 disability support pension.
Phan was charged with fraud and money laundering and arrested in November 2025 by New South Wales Police. She is accused of targeting vulnerable Vietnamese community members and forcing them to take out loans, promising they would meet a billionaire if they complied. She would later take cuts of up to $99,000 from the loans.
It was then confirmed by police that Phan was the leader of the Penthouse Syndicate, a group suspected of defrauding the Australian financial sector of more than $165 million.
The Star Group is now facing a possible $264 million fine after letting Phan launder money at Star’s baccarat tables as a VIP guest, including once gambling over $29,700 in a single day. Phan held a Platinum Club membership, which allowed her to enter “Sovereign”, Australia’s largest private gaming room.
Star’s Sydney license has been suspended since 2022, after it allowed criminal gangs to launder money in private high-roller junket rooms. Phan’s case adds to the compliance issues of Star Group and risks its license being revoked.
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