West Australia’s Royal Commission has heard that no monthly data highlighting the top spenders on the electronic gaming machines of Crown Perth was passed to the gambling operator’s responsible service of gaming team.
Earlier today, James Sullivan, gaming product manager, took part in the ongoing Royal Commission hearing, only to confirm that the aforementioned data was transferred to the gaming machine department of the casino operator. The unit in question was engaged in making an assessment of which games provided in Crown Perth were most popular among the casino’s patrons and therefore the largest revenue generators.
The counsel assisting the state’s Royal Commission into Crown Resorts, David Leigh, asked Mr Sullivan whether he believed it would be appropriate that the responsible gambling team was given information regarding the persons who were the biggest money spenders in the casino, so the team’s officers were able to make sure those casino patrons were not suffering from any form of problem gambling and gambling-related harm.
To this question, Mr Sullivan replied that he was not sure about the reporting the responsible gambling team received but acknowledged that such data might have been of interest to the employees.
WA Royal Commission Decides on Crown Perth’s Suitability to Keep Casino Operating Licence
The Royal Commission’s assisting counsel suggested that punters found the types of games, which were the ones most likely to result in customers playing at levels that may result in gambling-related harm, were found most compelling by punters. Such games also have accounted for the largest gambling profits of Crown Resorts.
According to Mr Sullivan, there could really be a connection between the games and problem gambling occurrences. He was also asked whether he consulted with the responsible gambling team of the casino about the appropriateness of a game before purchasing it and confessed no such consultations had been held. As a result, the assisting counsel found no input into Crown Perth’s purchasing decisions from the perspective of the responsible gambling team.
For the time being, Crown Perth is the only holder of a casino gambling permit on the territory of Western Australia. Under the gambling legislation of the state, so-called poker machines, also known as pokies, are not allowed anywhere else across the state, while cruise ships are only permitted to offer onboard gambling services when they are more than 12 nautical miles away from the coast.
The investigation into the Perth casino was started after Crown Resorts the New South Wales (NSW) Commissioner’s damning findings into the Australian gambling giant that money laundering had been facilitated through Asian high-roller junket operators at its casinos in Melbourne and Perth.
The state of Victoria has established a separate Royal Commission for its own, now complete, inquiry into the operations of Crown Resorts. The investigation was mainly focused on alleged money laundering and cooperation with Asian junket operators.
The probe in West Australia is now trying to find out more details regarding the state watchdog’s regulation of the casino venue and how the responsible gambling teams of Crown Perth worked. Last week, the WA Royal Commission heard there was an unsuitable relationship between the legal officers of the Australian casino giant and the former chief casino officer of the WA Gaming and Wagering Commission. The final report of the Commission, which is set to decide whether Crown Perth is fit to keep its operating casino licence, is expected in March 2022.
- Author
Olivia Cole
