The damning testimony over and on record, the Perth Royal Commission in Western Australia (WA) has found Crown Resorts “not suitable” to operate a casino in the state, but stopped short of pulling the license. The company will be placed under an independent monitor and will be required to clean up the mess at Crown Casino in Perth. The ruling mirrors those handed down in the states of Victoria and New South Wales in a similar investigation.
“We determined that in order to become suitable each entity would be required to embark on a pathway to suitability, with their remediation activities overseen by an independent monitor,” the report said.
Crown Resorts, meanwhile, was sold to the investment group Blackstone for more than US$6 billion.
The investigation found the casino allowed money laundering, other suspicious transactions and junkets with criminal connections to operate within the Perth casino. Almost 60 incidents were recounted where the casino failed to adhere to or implement AML processes, and failed to minimize harm done to vulnerable players.
But the casino company wasn’t the only entity found culpable. The investigation also pointed to failures from the WA oversight system—the Gaming and Wagering commission and Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.
Tony Buti, the racing and gaming minister, accepted the rebuke.
“It is clear that over decades, standards have eroded, integrity has been lost and the transparency of Western Australia’s casino operator has diminished,” Buti said. “In many cases, Crown has demonstrated poor corporate citizenship. It is a privilege to hold a gambling license in Western Australia and the royal commission has shown that Crown has, at times, abused that privilege. Crown needs to do better but the state’s regulator also needs to do better.”
Steve McCann, Crown CEO, said the company has already begun the process to make it right.
“This includes investment in people, systems, processes, culture and a sharp focus on responsible gaming and the prevention of financial crime,” he said in a statement. “Crown remains committed to continuous improvement across all facets of the business and is prioritizing the delivery of safe and responsible gaming across all of our resorts, including Crown Perth.”
Some of the recommendations required by the report include a binding loss-limit set by the player, a $10 max bet on the main gaming floor, 15 minute breaks after three hours of machine play, and a limit of 12 hours of play in one day or 28 hours per week.
