SkyCity Entertainment Group announced that it is suspending all gaming and entertainment activities as its Adelaide casino for no less than the following four days due to state-wide restrictions because of a coronavirus outbreak in Sydney that continues to spread across the state.
The SkyCity Adelaide closure comes as a response to the newest restrictions that are being imposed by the government of South Australia after the authorities detected three cases of Covid-19 at the beginning of the week. Now, under restrictions categorised as Level 4, non-essential retail outlets are required to close. The South Australian government has also cancelled all large events, while only seated food and beverage offering is allowed. It is also mandatory for local residents to wear masks.
Despite the gambling venue’s closure, SkyCity shared that its hotels would remain operable and would continue to accommodate its current guests. The company also said that the five-star hotel Eos would expect further orders from the South Australian government, while meanwhile sticking to all hygiene and physical distancing requirements.
On July 20th, the gambling operator made an official announcement, saying that its Adelaide-based casino and entertainment facilities would be shut as of midnight after the local government’s order under which a new state-wide Level 4 coronavirus restrictions would be implemented in South Australia.
New Zealand Properties of SkyCity Entertainment Remain Operable
As mentioned above, SkyCity Adelaide is set to stay closed until midnight on July 23rd, when the pandemic restrictions will be reviewed by the state government. As revealed by the gambling operator, all its properties in New Zealand, including the ones in Auckland, Queenstown and Hamilton have not been affected by the closure of the Adelaide property in Australia.
Now, SkyCity Adelaide has become the third casino to suspend operations in Australia. The Star Sydney is expected to resume operations on July 31st, at the earliest, while Crown Melbourne, which has been closed until yesterday, is set to remain shut as the coronavirus lockdown measures in Victoria are most likely to be extended.
Coronavirus restrictions and the current closure that is associated with them have not been the only difficulties faced by SkyCity Adelaide at the time. In fact, the casino is in the middle of an investigation. Previously, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) reported that it had identified potential failures of SkyCity Adelaide casino to comply with the Australian Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act of 2006 on one hand, and with the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Rules Instrument of 2007, on the other hand.
The gambling operator shared that the non-compliance concerns have been associated with ongoing customer due diligence, adopting and maintaining compliance with rules aimed at preventing financing terrorism programmes or participation in money laundering activities. They are linked to a compliance assessment started by AUSTRAC in September 2019 to focus on the casino’s management of high-risk customers from July 1st, 2015 to June 30th, 2016, as well as in the period from July 1st, 2018 to June 30th, 2019.
- Author
Olivia Cole
