Crown Resorts revealed that it is set to reopen its Metropol Melbourne hotel on December 1st, with the coronavirus restrictions in the state of Victoria being eased gradually.
The Australian gambling giant also revealed that a capacity of 1,000 players is set to be introduced in its Crown Melbourne casino. The gambling operator had previously only hinted there would be some limits on the number of patrons allowed to enter the small number of high-roller rooms that remained operational.
The casino gambling company shared that its table tames will resume operation as of November 25th. However, Crown Resorts pledged that it will stick to the recommended social distancing measures. As a result, every second gaming machine of the company will be switched off, while the number of visitors of each indoor area in the venue will be restricted to 150 so that there is one person per four square metres.
The revised trading conditions were confirmed in the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) release, with the requirements based on the already announced changes from two weeks ago. In that announcement, which was released at the time when Crown Resorts resumed gambling activities on November 12th, the Australian casino giant shared that every patron would be allowed to spend a maximum of 90 minutes a day in the casino, with enhanced protocols and social distancing measures in place.
Reportedly, the recently announced changes are set to engage quite a few members of the gambling operator’s staff, although the exact number still remains unknown.
Crown Resorts Currently Facing Hard Time Due to Ongoing Inquiry
The announcement of the Metropol Melbourne hotel’s reopening comes at a time when the Australian casino giant is facing intense regulatory pressure, as the inquiry of the New South Wales (NSW) gambling regulatory body into the company’s operations is still ongoing. The probe was given a start following some media reports alleged that Crown Resorts had knowingly worked in collaboration with junket operators that violated anti-money laundering laws and were linked to criminal organisations.
Currently, the company’s operations in the states of NSW, Victoria and West Australia are being investigated over the revelations that emerged in local media hubs last year. As reported by Casino Guardian, the Australian casino giant is also being investigated by the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC).
Most recently, the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) of New South Wales has forced Crown Resorts to postpone the opening of its AU$2.2-billion Barangaroo Casino in Sydney, which was set to take place in December. Now, the planned opening will wait until the ongoing inquiry of the NSW gambling watchdog into the company is completed. The regulatory body is expected to unveil the probe’s findings in February 2020.
The controversial relationship of Crown Resorts with its junket operators’ partners and the alleged money laundering violations are not the only issues that are being investigated. Apart from that, the NSW ILGA is carrying out an inquiry into the influence that the major shareholder of the company, James Packer, had on the gambling operator’s decisions and whether the already abandoned stake sale to Melco Resorts violated any regulatory conditions of the Barangaroo casino licence.
- Author
Olivia Cole
