Australians have been found as one of the biggest gambling nations worldwide, with poker machines, lotteries and sports betting being among the most popular forms of gambling among local people.
As found by recent research, almost 80% of the country’s population has participated in some form of gambling, a fact that makes Australia the largest gambling on a global scale. Currently, there are almost 7,000 clubs, pubs, hotels and various other establishments in the country where gambling is offered. There are also about 5,000 lottery establishments, not to mention the number of casino venues that vary in size.
Remaining on top of such a dynamic market could be hard, but Crown Resorts has managed to remain as one of the largest and most popular casino operators in Australia for years. This, on the other hand, has been one of the main reasons why the gambling company has recently faced a large number of crime-related allegations.
For the time being, the main operations of Crown Resorts are primarily run in two states, Victoria and Western Australia (WA). As Casino Guardian has already reported, several local media hubs have claimed that the casino operator has not only been involved in some criminal activities but has also been getting special treatment from the Government.
Crown Resorts has faced allegations of links to some Chinese criminal organisations, working in collaboration with foreign junket operators to attract affluent Chinese high-rollers to its casinos in Australia, evading customs checks and making fast-tracked visas for its VIP gamblers, as well as supporting and allowing money-laundering activities in its premises.
VCGLR Blamed for Favouring Crown Resorts with More Relaxed Regulatory Regime
As mentioned above, some media hubs have claimed that Crown Resorts has received special treatment from the Government, as there have been multiple occasions of Crown evading special tax requirements. For the time being, it is Crown Resorts which dominates the casino and gambling markets in the states of WA and Victoria, for which it is favoured by paying considerably lower taxes than its counterparts which offer a certain form of gambling, such as Australian pubs and clubs.
The gambling operator has been blamed for paying very low taxes in the state of Victoria, where its revenues are known to reach about AU$2 billion. In addition, despite being the largest gambling operator in the country, the Crown remittances account for only 11%. Moreover, the operator is also claimed to be facing fewer limitations when it comes to its gambling operations. All this has been the reason why some campaigners have been claiming that the casino and gambling company has been subject to some special regulatory conditions that indicate a massive loophole in the country’s federal and state gambling legislation.
The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) that is the major regulatory body which oversees the gambling sector in the state of Victoria has been blamed for poor regulatory oversight. As far as Crown Resorts is concerned, campaigners have been claiming that there is something wrong with the regulatory monitoring and control which of the body. They have claimed that the VCGLR needs to improve the way it regulates the casino operator since it has not been able to demonstrate that its supervision has been efficient enough as required by the federal government.
In any case, the recent setbacks and probes faced by Crown Resorts have come to prove that regulatory oversight needs to be changed in a way that guarantees qualitative control of all players in the country’s gambling sector. Legislative loopholes in terms of Crown Resorts need to be closed in order for the regulators to guarantee that the rules apply for everyone.
The alleged involvement of Crown Resorts in money laundering, organised crime and evasion of customs checks rules clearly show that there is more to be done in terms of improving the control on the sector in order for the competent authorities to make sure that local gamblers are well-protected against gambling-related harm at a time when Australia has been considered one of the most-gambling nations worldwide.
- Author
Daniel Williams
