The casino watchdog in the state of Victoria did not make an attempt to interview staff members of Crown Resorts, who were taken into custody and imprisoned in China for participating in the illegal promotion of gambling, until after one of them appeared on television. At the time this happened, the regulatory body’s investigation had been underway for two years.
The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) tabled its annual report in the state parliament on October 29th. The report unveils the lack of progress in the watchdog’s investigation that was given a start in 2017 and is still not finalised. According to some analysts, the report could further alarm the regulatory body’s critics who have been labelling it as “worse than useless”.
VCGLR investigators only tried to interview the Crown Resorts’ employees who were arrested in China under allegations of luring affluent gamblers to the gambling group’s casinos through junket operators related to criminal organisations, which appeared in local media hubs last year. Currently, the regulatory body is the one that has the power to oversee the largest casino of the gambling giant – Crown Melbourne – which is known to have included one junket operator.
Gambling Regulator Did Not Approach Arrested Crown Workers until After One Appeared on Television
Back in 2016, 19 Crown Resorts’ employees were arrested by Chinese authorities and were then convicted of participation in illegal gambling promotion.
As reported by the Guardian Australia, a spokeswoman of the gambling and liquor regulator in the state shared that the watchdog was nearing the completion of its investigation at the time when the aforementioned allegations appeared in the media. She explained that Crown Resorts was provided with a draft investigation report by the VCGLR in the middle of 2019 to have the opportunity to respond. However, shortly after that, a series of media reports in regard to the casino operator was published.
After this happened, the watchdog’s investigation had to make an assessment of whether the information was relevant to the probe or it could have any other impact on it. The spokeswoman further noted that the regulatory body also needed to collect more relevant information and evidence on the issue, which delayed the investigation’s completion. The watchdog was further delayed in its actions because, at first, Crown Resorts refused to release some documents related to the probe, citing legal privilege.
Now, the annual report released by the gambling and liquor regulator revealed that earlier in 2020 Crown addressed the commission that it would retain of using the professional privilege over a lot of documents it had previously refused to provide as evidence. The investigation is still ongoing, with the VCGLR taking in mind the extensive new evidence received. The watchdog revealed in its report that it had pursued other lines of inquiry as part of its efforts to retrieve any additional relevant information and evidence to conclude the probe.
The Victorian gambling regulatory body shared it was having consultations with AUSTRAC (Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre) to impose stricter measured on the casino’s tracing of the high-roller customers’ source of funds. The VCGLR has finalised another probe into allegations that appeared in local media, ruling the Crown Resorts had failed to control junket operators.
- Author
Olivia Cole
