The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has levied record-setting fines against Crown Resorts’ Crown Melbourne casino, to the tune of US$77.7 million (AUD 120 million).
The combined penalty was the result of two separate violations, both of which were highlighted in the Royal Commission inquiry last year. The report found Crown to be unsuitable for licensure in the state, but its license was restored provisionally after the company was acquired by U.S.-based Blackstone Group earlier this year.
The majority of the fine—$64.3 million—was attributed to Crown’s failure to prevent patrons from gambling for excessively long periods, sometimes 24 hours or more; the other $12.85 million was imposed after the operator allowed patrons to use plastic picks and other counterfeit devices to jam down play buttons on slot machines and simulate automatic play.
In a statement, Fran Thorn, head of the VGCCC, said that the operator had “breached its code of conduct for the Responsible Service of Gambling over many years by consistently failing to intervene to prevent gambling harm.”
The regulator continued by saying that “the record fines totaling AUD$120 million that we have imposed on Crown today will send a powerful message to Crown that the Commission will not tolerate misconduct that exposes our community to increased risks of gambling related harm.”
The casino is already operating under the direction of a state-appointed independent monitor, who is set to report back to the VGCCC in early 2024 to help determine whether or not the company has achieved suitability.
In some ways, the recent fine could be seen as an attempt to make an example of Crown to deter future violations, as Thorn noted that “this disciplinary action also sounds a warning to all in the Victorian gambling industry that we expect them to do everything they can to minimize the harmful impacts of gambling.”
This is the second time the VGCCC has levied heavy fines against Crown Melbourne just this year, as the agency already imposed a $51 million fine back in May after it was discovered that the casino was allowing patrons to transfer gambling funds via China UnionPay bank cards, which is illegal in both countries.
