Crown Melbourne Keeps License After a 2 year Regulatory Review

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The VGCCC continues to carefully monitor Crown to ensure any failings identified by the Royal Commission are not repeated. These changes were brought about in the Casino Legislation Amendment (RC Implementation and Other Matters) Act 2022(opens in a new window). Following the 2021 Royal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence (RCCOL), Crown came under intense scrutiny. Crown Melbourne is a subsidiary company of Crown Resorts Limited (Crown Resorts), which was acquired by the Blackstone Group in 2022. The casino licence(opens in a new window) has been granted until November 2050.
In March 2022 the Royal Commission issued its final report concluding that the company is unsuitable to run its Perth casino, but was given two years to return to suitability under the watch of an independent monitor. Crown Sydney’s ability to provide a destination hospitality and entertainment venue underpinned by the restricted gaming facility is contingent on its steadfast commitment to continuing suitability, accountability and compliance.” Complaints often relate to dress-code enforcement, conduct checks, or decisions that players feel were too abrupt. A regulated casino can still be difficult to deal with when it comes to identification checks, security decisions, or large cash movements. The VGCCC itself, emerging from the shortcomings of its predecessor, has demonstrated a newfound vigour in regulatory enforcement, imposing $250 million in fines on Crown for various infringements, signalling a stern stance against non-compliance. It follows a period of ongoing regulatory investigations into allegations of misconduct, including the re-entry of removed customers into premises, with specific scrutiny directed at the company’s CEO, Ciaran Carruthers.
In October 2015, Crown acquired a 20 per cent stake in restaurant and hotel company Nobu for US$100 million. The agreement was ended in March 2009, however, with Crown instead buying a 24.5 percent stake in the company for $370 million, and paying a $50 million termination fee. Crown Resorts Limited is an Australian gaming and entertainment group that owns and operates three integrated resorts, including Crown Melbourne, Crown Perth and Crown Sydney. So all we have is a regulator that says Crown has changed, and that if there is “regression to the ‘Old Crown'” the full extent of the law will be brought against it.
Our powers include the ability to issue mandatory directions (including requiring independent third-party reviews), accepting, enforceable undertakings by the casino operator and issuing penalty infringement notices. Read about the Crown suitability decision(opens in a new window). For Victoria-specific venue issues, the VGCCC context matters, but personal gambling harm support should always come first. Beginners should think of Crown Melbourne as a controlled entertainment venue rather than a casual money-in, money-out environment.
In December 2014, James Packer signed a deal with Matthew Tripp, which gained Packer control over Tripp’s payid casinos online betting platform BetEasy. In August 2014 Betfair completed the sale of their 50% stake in Betfair Australia to venture partner Crown Resorts. In December 2007, Australian gambling company Crown Limited agreed to buy Cannery Casino Resorts (CCR) for $1.75 billion. The company was established in 2007 when Publishing & Broadcasting Limited (PBL) divested its gambling assets to Crown Limited. The VGCCC now audits and checks the information it gets from the casino. That leaves us with the regulator, which publishes a short annual report.
At the same time, its reputation has been shaped by regulatory findings that left the operator under close supervision. Chief Legal and Compliance Officer for Crown Resorts Limited, Anthony Pearl, confirmed the internal review in accordance with “governance protocols” that were laid down in reform recommendations from the company’s 2021 license review. The first alleged incident occurred on 25 November 2023 when Carruthers was claimed to have allowed an intoxicated woman access the Victoria facility’s gaming floor.
It also stated Crown used a $2 shell company Riverbank Investments Pty Ltd and another company called Southbank for money laundering. Meaning that gaming would not be allowed at Crown Sydney saying that Crown facilitated hundred of millions of dollars’ worth of money laundering in Crown Perth and Crown Melbourne. In February 2021 an inquiry by New South Wales deemed Crown unfit to hold a gaming license. In April 2016, the company’s joint venture with Matthew Tripp, CrownBet pleaded guilty to five counts of breaching laws by publishing illegal betting advertising that offered inducements for NSW residents to gamble.
The NSW Independent Casino Commission has found Crown Sydney suitable to retain its casino licence after nearly three years of intensive remediation. This includes acting on any sign of money laundering and financial crime, and implementing technology and processes to mitigate the risks. Our Position Statement on Harm Minimisation(opens in a new window) makes it clear to Crown and other gambling operators that they have a duty to act wherever harm is identified or suspected. Crown has been required to prevent the harmful impacts of gambling by acting decisively and promptly whenever its personnel sees or suspects harm is occurring.
A subsequent royal commission in Victoria didn’t re-examine the explosive revelations uncovered up north, but slammed failings on responsible gambling laws and revealed Crown had short-changed the state of millions of dollars in tax. Crown Resorts has been cleared to keep its licence to run Victoria’s only casino after a probation period and review by Victoria’s gambling and casino commission. He has submitted four reports (of which we can only read summaries) and a final report that informed the regulator’s decision. It failed to prevent staff from being jailed in China and shredded responsible gambling laws, all while obfuscating and lying to the regulators failing to hold it to account. As Crown Resorts moves forward, the focus will be on maintaining the momentum of transformation, ensuring compliance, and rebuilding trust among its stakeholders, customers, and the broader community. However, as Crown Melbourne navigates its path forward, the commitment to continual improvement and compliance will be critical, with the VGCCC and other stakeholders remaining vigilant against any regression to past behaviours. This period also saw Crown Resorts agreeing to a substantial $450m fine to AUSTRAC for breaches of anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing laws, further underscoring the financial and operational challenges faced by the company.