The Star Entertainment Group (SEG) has announced that its proposed deal to offload its stake in the Brisbane Queen’s Wharf hotel and casino complex has collapsed, leaving the casino operator facing around $41 million in payments to investors.

In a statement to the ASX last week, SEG said its Heads of Agreement (HoA) deal with its joint venture partners – Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Limited and Far East Consortium International Limited – had been terminated.

The statement said: “As of this morning, the parties have been unable to reach agreement on a number of outstanding commercial issues which in turn prevent the finalisation of long form documents.

“The Star proposed to the Joint Venture Partners an extension of the HoA termination date to 6 August 2025 to allow further time to conclude negotiations. However, the proposed extension by The Star was not accepted by the Joint Venture Partners.

“Accordingly, the HoA Termination Notice (which was extended to 31 July 2025) has taken effect and as a result, the HoA has been terminated with effect from today’s date.”

The collapse of the deal exposes SEG to a number of repayments and equity responsibilities, which will add to the financial woes of the group. SEG must repay $10m of proceeds it received from the Joint Venture Partners by 6 August 2025.

In addition, SEG must reimburse the Joint Venture Partners for its share of equity contributions that have been made by the Joint Venture Partners to Destination Brisbane Consortium (DBC) since 31 March 2025. This amount is currently anticipated to be approximately $31m (based on an estimate of amounts paid to date) and is payable by 5 September 2025.

SEG will also retain its 50% share of the DBC debt facility, which is currently around $1.4bn, and will continue to be responsible for its share of future equity contributions to DBC, estimated to be approximately $200m. Additional equity may also be required as part of the refinancing of the DBC debt facility, which is due to expire in December 2025.

The ASX statement did say that SEG “is continuing to engage with the Joint Venture Partners and will provide an update if there are any material developments regarding the parties’ respective interests in DBC and DGCC”.

The group added: “Given the termination of the HoA, The Star is considering what alternative options may be available to it in relation to its 50 per cent equity interest in DBC, along with the Treasury Brisbane hotel and car park and its 50 per cent equity interest in the Charlotte Street Car Park (Festival).”

The Regulating the Game (RTG) conference has announced the return of Pitch! @RTG in 2026, scheduled to take place on March 10 at the Yallamundi Rooms, Sydney Opera House.

Applications are now open for organisations, entrepreneurs and researchers to present solutions in gambling regulation, compliance and technology.

Pitch! will again serve as a platform for presenting initiatives in RegTech, artificial intelligence, blockchain oversight, public policy, safer gambling and financial crime compliance.

Selected applicants will be allocated a 10-minute presentation slot, plus a question-and-answer segment, before an audience of regulators, policymakers, operators and sector stakeholders.

Pitch! is positioned within RTG as a session focused on sharing regulatory solutions and advancing sector practices. The session is structured to facilitate engagement between regulatory authorities and commercial innovators.

Proposals are being accepted across several areas, including:

• Regulatory technology applications for compliance efficiency

• Design-led product integrity and embedded compliance

• Risk management tools for anticipating regulatory developments

• Public policy frameworks and regulatory reform models

• Digital asset and cryptocurrency oversight mechanisms

• Cybersecurity systems and digital risk mitigation

• Anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) controls

• Artificial intelligence for regulatory supervision

• Environmental, social and governance (ESG) applications in gambling policy

• Harm minimisation and responsible gambling tools.

The 2026 edition follows previous iterations of Pitch!, a session introduced as part of Regulating the Game’s agenda to align technological innovation with regulatory objectives.

Paul Newson, founder of Regulating the Game, said the Pitch! session remains integral to conference programming.

“Pitch! is the heartbeat of innovation within the conference, where we elevate emerging talent, catalyse sector capability, and connect industry and regulatory stewards with cutting-edge solutions. It’s about fuelling the conversation and fast-tracking progress,” Newson said.

Interested parties can submit applications via regulatingthegame.com/pitch-rtg. Pitch! presentations are expected to be concise and focused on practical solutions. The session will be held on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at the Yallamundi Rooms in the Sydney Opera House.

In addition to Pitch!, the 2026 Regulating the Game conference will feature an expanded exhibition showcase and will introduce the RTG Global Awards.

PointsBet Holdings Limited (ASX: PBH) (PointsBet) refers to the previously announced unsolicited, conditional, reverse off-market all-scrip (share) takeover offer by Betr Entertainment Limited (Betr) (Unsolicited Betr Scrip Offer).

On 30 July 2025, Betr announced that it would increase the consideration under the Unsolicited Betr Scrip Offer from 3.81 Betr shares per PointsBet share to 4.219 Betr shares per PointsBet share ( Proposed Variation) and that Betr intended to make the Proposed Variation following the opening of the Unsolicited Betr Scrip Offer.

PointsBet also notes that on 29 July 2025 it made an application to the Takeovers Panel in relation to its affairs (the scope of which includes disclosure issues in relation to the value of the scrip consideration under the Unsolicited Betr Scrip Offer) and, in response to an application for interim orders by PointsBet, the President of the Takeovers Panel made interim orders restraining Betr from despatching its bidder’s statement. The Takeovers Panel proceedings are currently ongoing.

Further details are set out in the Takeovers Panel’s media release dated 30 July 2025.

The PointsBet Board has determined, with the assistance of external advisers, that the Betr Proposal is materially inferior to the MIXI Takeover Offer, even taking into account the Proposed Variation.

PointsBet will provide further details through its target’s statement in response to the Unsolicited Betr Scrip Offer (when despatched).

The PointsBet Board continues to regard the Unsolicited Betr Scrip Offer as an inadequate outcome for PointsBet shareholders in the context of a scrip-based acquisition of PointsBet by Betr, given the previously announced risks it sees in the combination (following due diligence), including in relation to concerns that PointsBet has regarding Betr’s existing business and what it regards as a material overstatement by Betr of the net synergy potential associated with the transaction.

Accordingly, the PointsBet Directors continue to unanimously recommend that PointsBet shareholders accept the previously announced MIXI Takeover Offer, in the absence of a superior proposal.

The MIXI Takeover Offer is open and PointsBet shareholders should ACCEPT the MIXI Takeover Offer

MIXI Australia Pty Ltd has most recently announced a relevant interest in 24.7% of PointsBet shares (and a further interest in 1.9% of PointsBet shares through an institutional acceptance facility).