The Voice Judge Joel Madden Involved in Another Drug Scandal at Sydney Casino
The Voice judge Joel Madden is involved in another drug scandal at Sydney's Star casino. The police searched the hotel room of Madden and found traces of cannabis which were declared too small to file criminal charges against him.
The news comes after the Sydney Star is in the middle of a public fight for the future of its casino license against Crown Group's James Packer.
The lifestyle of Joel Madden seems to have caught up with him. Although Madden was not charged for drug possession, hotel management asked him to check out and leave the hotel as soon as possible.
In an interview, Joel Madden said he and his wife wanted to bring their kids to Sydney for about three months.
It's a difficult decision for the casino to ask Madden to leave the hotel because the punk rock star has been bringing good publicity to the hotel since his two-month stay. The casino's big call couldn't have come at a better time since it was only days away deciding its fate. Sydney Star is competing with James Packer's Crown for the only casino licence in Sydney.
The Star's decision to order Madden to leave is a clear indication that the hotel draws a hard line for its guests when it comes to alcohol and drug use. Echo Entertainment owns the casino and had to replace its management staff at Star last year for a publicity stunt gone wrong against the government of NSW.
The government alleged that the Star tolerated a culture of alcohol and drugs in hotel premises. Former Echo Entertainment CEO Larry Mullin resigned shortly afterwards.
John O'Neill, a well-renowned entrepreneur, immediately took control and hired a new CEO to repair the company's relationship with the government. James Packer saw this as an opportunity to try and take the casino licence from Star and build a new casino at Sydney Harbour foreshore.