The Crown Melbourne Casino has been hit with a substantial $1 million penalty, approximately $724,000 USD, for disregarding regulations related to gambling excursions in Victoria.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VCGLR) announced that despite repeated cautions, the casino, a prominent establishment within the Crown Resorts group, maintained its connection with a gambling tour organizer identified as “Mr. A” and his colleague “Ms. B,” both deemed unfit by the regulatory agency.
Mr. A’s history included gambling-related infractions in the United States in December 2014, leading the commission to direct Crown to cease all interactions with him. However, Crown opted for a clandestine approach, initiating operations with Ms. B, Mr. A’s personal aide, in late July and even facilitating her initial tour in October 2015.
Undeterred by the warnings, Crown persisted in its involvement with Ms. B, now functioning as a tour partner, well into January 2016, extending a credit line amounting to a significant $2 million. The guarantor for this questionable arrangement was none other than “Mr. C,” a business associate of Mr. A who also had his own legal troubles in the US around the same period.
The VCGLR, in their formal declaration, did not mince words, stating that Crown’s inability to sever ties with Mr. A and their blatant disregard for conducting appropriate background checks on Ms. B were the primary reasons behind the substantial fine.
Further compounding the issue, Crown also conveniently “neglected” to inform the regulatory body about their dealings with Ms. B. This act of intentional concealment left the VCGLR with no alternative but to impose the highest possible penalty on the casino.
This substantial financial penalty demonstrates the gravity with which we approach this matter,” declared Ross Kennedy, the leader of the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC), alluding to Crown Resorts’ inability to sever connections with dubious high-roller tour organizers. He stressed that Crown had sufficient opportunity to adhere to the Commission’s instructions. Kennedy further stated that the VGCCC anticipates all entities under its jurisdiction to be proactive in observing regulations and will not shy away from taking decisive action against those who disregard or intentionally violate the rules. This most recent sanction follows a $1 million penalty imposed on Crown Melbourne in April for comparable breaches. These transgressions prompted Victoria to recently enact the Casino and Gambling Legislation Amendment Act 2021, which, among other provisions, grants the VGCCC greater authority to impose even more substantial fines and completely prohibits operators from engaging in business with high-roller tour organizers.
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