The New South Wales Independent Casino Commission (NICC) has deemed Crown Resorts fit to once again welcome patrons to its Sydney-based casino under an unrestricted gambling licence. This result is the outcome of a wide range of remediation measures that saw the business improve drastically in the past years.
What originally led to Crown Resorts’ licensing struggles was the breaching of multiple gambling regulations. The said violations were first revealed as a result of an investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age. This prompted the regulators of Victoria, Western Australia, and New South Wales to launch their own probes into Crown Resorts, which resulted in the uncovering of issues pertaining to money laundering, counter-terrorism, the company’s corporate governance, and a failure to enforce safety measures to protect clients from problem gambling.
Crown Resorts also had to pay an AU$450 million fine after the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) found the gambling giant guilty of facilitating money laundering through junkets.
How Crown Sydney Regained the Approval of the NICC
What followed the regulatory action was a complete restructuring of Crown Resorts’ management, as well as the undertaking of transformations aimed at tackling all identified problems and ensuring compliance with gambling laws. The said measures totalled AU$200 million in terms of costs, and among them was the implementation of cashless gaming technology in Crown Sydney’s Electronic Table Games (ETGs), as well as the company’s launching of Crown PlaySafe.
Crown Sydney vowed to continue its collaboration with the NICC, and Mark McWhinnie, the current CEO of Crown Sydney, underscored all of the hard work that has gone into implementing the “wholesale reform” of the casino’s operations, with a total of 432 remediation activities having been delivered. He deemed the NICC’s decision to be a recognition of the successful changes as well as Crown Sydney’s “ongoing commitment to operating the highest industry standards.” He continued, expressing gratitude towards the NICC, and dubbed Crown Sydney “the safest place to gamble in the State.”
Crown Resorts CEO Ciarán Carruthers also commemorated the fantastic results of the Crown’s efforts, thanking the Chief Commissioner of the NICC, Philip Crawford, and acknowledging that having a licence as a casino establishment is a privilege that must be taken “extremely seriously.”
Crown’s Renaissance Across Australia
With Crown Sydney’s licensing issues resolved, Crown Perth’s gambling establishment remains the last Crown-owned casino that is yet to have its licence reinstated. However, in the announcement regarding Crown Sydney, the company stressed that Crown Perth is set to submit the results of its remediation plan by January 31st, 2025.
As for Crown’s Melbourne-facing operations, last month, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) gave Crown Melbourne the go-ahead to commence operations by reinstating its licence. Like the Sydney branch, Crown Melbourne has also undergone an impressive transformation, with notable changes being introduced to the resort’s corporate structure and various measures being taken to tackle money laundering. What is more, in December 2023, Crown Melbourne became the first casino in the state of Victoria to implement carded play.
- Author
Daniel Williams
