Crown to retain Melbourne casino licence
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The news: The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has said it is "clearly satisfied" that Crown Melbourne is suitable to operate its casino and that it is in the public interest that the licence continue in force.
The numbers: The commission decided that Crown Melbourne had addressed the failings identified by the 2021 Royal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence, which found that the operator was "unsuitable" to hold a licence after "illegal, dishonest, unethical and exploitative" conduct.
The context: Commission chair Fran Thorn said that the 2021 Royal Commission detailed how Crown Melbourne had breached its legal, social and moral obligations, resulting in illegal activities, tax avoidance, money laundering, criminal associations, and significant harm to vulnerable community members, ultimately finding Crown Melbourne unsuitable to hold the Melbourne Casino Licence.
However, Thorn noted "despite the enormity of its findings", the Royal Commission recommended Crown be permitted to continue operating under "stringent independent oversight conditions for two years", determining it had the will and capacity to transform itself to become suitable.
The Victorian Government, responding to the Royal Commission’s findings, appointed a special manager to oversee Crown Melbourne’s operations and remediation. It also established the VGCCC as a new regulator focussed solely on the gambling industry and created a specific set of enhanced powers with respect to the Melbourne casino.
Thorn said the special manager’s final report concluded that Crown Melbourne has remediated the failings exposed in the Royal Commission and established the critical foundations needed to achieve sustainable overall transformation in coming years.
It has also introduced extensive reforms to prevent or reduce gambling harm, financial crime and money laundering, and addressed systemic risk management failures and strengthened its integrity framework.
What they said: “There was no evidence of maladministration or illegal or improper conduct indicative of the serious and systemic failures previously identified by the Royal Commission, and these failings had been addressed,” Thorn said.
“During our investigations, we observed a different Crown Melbourne emerging with a clear understanding of the privilege and obligations of holding the Melbourne Casino Licence,” she said.
The source: VGCCC media release
