{"id":18162,"date":"2021-02-10T03:03:02","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T08:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=18162"},"modified":"2021-02-10T03:03:02","modified_gmt":"2021-02-10T08:03:02","slug":"crown-resorts-australian-casino-firm-not-suitable-for-sydney-gaming-licence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/02\/10\/crown-resorts-australian-casino-firm-not-suitable-for-sydney-gaming-licence\/","title":{"rendered":"Crown Resorts: Australian casino firm &#8216;not suitable&#8217; for Sydney gaming licence"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p><b class=\"ssrcss-14iz86j-BoldText e5tfeyi0\">A landmark inquiry has found Crown Resorts, Australia&#8217;s largest casino operator, is not suitable to hold a gaming licence in Sydney.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>It puts into question whether Crown will be able to open its already-built casino in Australia&#8217;s largest city.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Crown has spent A$2.2bn (\u00a31.2bn; $1.7bn) on its new gaming complex which began operating its hotel and retail spaces in December.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>It has been dogged by allegations of illegal activity for years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Commissioner Patricia Bergin &#8211; a former judge- concluded that Crown should only be approved for its new Barangaroo tower casino on Sydney Harbour if it made radical reforms, including the sacking of its executive team.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Two directors quit on Wednesday over the findings which confirm money laundering and organised crime links.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Crown is now also facing calls from some lawmakers for its casino licences in Melbourne and Perth to be suspended. The firm has halted trading on the Australian Securities Exchange.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Crown is majority-owned by billionaire James Packer, the heir of one Australia&#8217;s most famous business dynasties. He resigned from the board in 2018.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"unordered-list-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1pzprxn-BulletListContainer e5tfeyi3\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-hiczm3-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-australia-43916868\">Crown casino fined for &#8216;blank&#8217; buttons<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-hiczm3-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-australia-54595050\">Australian casino faces money laundering probe<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>His conduct and influence over company culture was strongly criticised in the inquiry&#8217;s 751-page report, published on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-mysbf6-ComponentWrapper-CrossheadComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"crosshead-block\">\n<h2 class=\"ssrcss-qozapo-StyledHeading e1fj1fc10\">What did the inquiry find?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>The New South Wales (NSW) state public inquiry was set up in 2019 after Australian media published allegations of criminal activity at the nation&#8217;s largest casino &#8211; Crown&#8217;s Melbourne venue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Those reports- combined with an earlier sale of Crown shares to Asian casino operator Melco &#8211; prompted regulators to investigate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>For years, Crown and its associates have been dogged by allegations of illegal activity: from machine tampering to money laundering and junkets (paid-for-trips) bringing in high-spending gamblers from Asia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>In her report, commissioner Bergin said organised crime agents had &#8220;infiltrated&#8221; Crown&#8217;s casinos and the company had breached several gambling laws.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>She said Crown was &#8220;facilitating money laundering, exposing staff to the risk of detention in a foreign jurisdiction and pursuing commercial relationships with individuals&#8221; connected to criminal groups.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>There was a high probability of money laundering &#8220;in the [Melbourne] casino premises with hundreds of thousands of dollars brought into the casino in cooler bags and shopping bags and exchanged for chips and plaques&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>She found the company had also associated with junket operators with links to criminal gangs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>The company&#8217;s governance structures was also warped by Packer&#8217;s influence, she said, and this had led to conflicts of interest and lax regulations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-mysbf6-ComponentWrapper-CrossheadComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"crosshead-block\">\n<h2 class=\"ssrcss-qozapo-StyledHeading e1fj1fc10\">What&#8217;s been the response?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>On Wednesday, the state regulator, the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA), said Crown needed &#8220;a lot of change&#8221; and it would work with the company on reforms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>&#8220;We now have a contractual obligation to consult with Crown and talk the issues through,&#8221; said ILGA head Philip Crawford.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>He told reporters in Sydney: &#8220;One of you had a headline in your report last night about Crown needing to blow itself up to save itself. That&#8217;s probably pretty close to the mark.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>The NSW government has said it would await the regulator&#8217;s recommendations before taking action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>&#8220;Anyone who wants to operate a casino has to stick to the rules, has to stick to the law,&#8221; New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>The report has recommended the establishment of a new, more powerful gaming regulator specific to casinos.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-australia-56005678\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">A landmark inquiry has found Crown Resorts, Australia&#8217;s largest casino operator, is not suitable to hold a gaming licence in Sydney. It puts into question whether Crown will be able to open its already-built casino <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/02\/10\/crown-resorts-australian-casino-firm-not-suitable-for-sydney-gaming-licence\/\" title=\"Crown Resorts: Australian casino firm &#8216;not suitable&#8217; for Sydney gaming licence\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[350,2,6],"tags":[819,3718,3719,1484,3862],"class_list":{"0":"post-18162","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"category-news","9":"category-world","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-crown-resorts","12":"tag-gambling","13":"tag-money-laundering","14":"tag-sydney","15":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18162"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18164,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18162\/revisions\/18164"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}