The Star, Sydney

The Star, Sydney
The Star complex in 2011
Location Pyrmont, Sydney, Australia
Opening date13 September 1995 (1995-09-13)
No. of rooms351
Casino typeLand-based
OwnerStar Entertainment Group
ArchitectPhilip Cox
Previous names
  • Star City Casino
  • Sydney Harbour Casino
Renovated in2009–2011 A$961 million
Coordinates33°52.1′S 151°11.7′E / 33.8683°S 151.1950°E / -33.8683; 151.1950
Websitewww.star.com.au

The Star Sydney (formerly Star City Casino and prior to that, Sydney Harbour Casino) in Pyrmont, Sydney, is the second largest casino in Australia after Melbourne's Crown Casino. Overlooking Darling Harbour, The Star, owned by Star Entertainment Group features two gaming floors, one bar, 3 restaurants, 351 hotel rooms and 130 serviced and privately owned apartments. It also includes the 2,000 seat Sydney Lyric theatre and 3,000-seat Event Centre, the latter designed by Montreal-based theatre design firm Scéno Plus. 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 2007, it was granted a 12-year extension of its exclusivity and licence.[1]

In December 1994, a consortium of Leighton Properties and Showboat was announced by the NSW Casino Control Authority as the successful applicant for New South Wales' first casino licence.[2][3] A temporary casino was opened by Acting Prime Minister Kim Beazley on 13 September 1995 on the site of former wharves 12/13. The permanent casino, designed by Sydney architect, Philip Cox,[4] in joint partnership with American architect, Hillier, opened on 27 November 1997, was one of the largest building projects ever carried out in Australia.[5] The complex is now owned by The Star Entertainment Group.[6]

  1. ^ "Media Releases". Tabcorp.com.au. 30 October 2007. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  2. ^ "About Us, Our Projects". Leighton Properties. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  3. ^ "Leighton to sell $48m stake in casino management company". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 February 2003. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Casinos and stadiums: Philip Cox". Inside the collection. Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences. 4 November 2013. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  5. ^ Star City Casino Archived 18 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine Leighton Contractors
  6. ^ "The Star Entertainment Group". The Star. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2016.