Crown Resorts has been deemed unfit to operate a casino in Western Australia and has been given two years to get its affairs in order under the watchful eye of an independent monitor.

This finding and recommendation can be found in the final report recently issued by the royal commission appointed to investigate allegations of wrongdoing at the Perth casino.

Former Supreme Court justices, Neville Owen and Lindy Jenkins, and former WA auditor-general Colin Murphy are the three commissioners who were tasked with conducting the inquest who found that Crown Resorts and its subsidiaries enabled money laundering activities at the casino.

They detailed that Crown had not implemented systems to identify suspicious transactions and how junkets with criminal ties had been allowed to freely operate at the property.

Remedial Action

The report also revealed that Crown had failed to employ gambling-related harm minimisation measures and that it had not displayed transparency in its communications when dealing with the state regulator.

Apart from the findings, 59 recommendations were put forward with the revelation that there were “numerous deficiencies” in the WA’s gaming and wagering commission and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries’ oversight of the casino.

Remediation will follow for Crown and its subsidiaries and this process will be managed by an independent monitor over two years.

WA’s racing and gaming minister, Tony Buti, shared that the government is happy with the key recommendations and would amend the state’s casino laws accordingly.

In an interview with reporters, Buti said,

“It is clear that over decades, standards have eroded, integrity has been lost and the transparency of Western Australia’s casino operator has diminished. In many cases, Crown has demonstrated poor corporate citizenship.”

“It is a privilege to hold a gambling licence in Western Australia and the royal commission has shown that Crown has, at times, abused that privilege. Crown needs to do better but the state’s regulator also needs to do better,” he added.

Second Chances

Buti went on to defend the decision to allow Crown to keep its licence, explaining that the government is prioritising the employment of the close to 5000 staff at Crown Perth.

Crown’s CEO, Steve McCann, stated that said the company would cooperate with the state government to put the recommendations into practice and added that the company has already embarked on a profound transformation process.

“This includes investment in people, systems, processes, culture and a sharp focus on responsible gaming and the prevention of financial crime. Crown remains committed to continuous improvement across all facets of the business and is prioritising the delivery of safe and responsible gaming across all of our resorts, including Crown Perth,” he said in a statement.​

The designs for The Star Entertainment Group’s new project have been revealed. The $3.6 billion, 71-storey Queen’s Wharf development will feature more than 800 apartments and will tower at over 250 metres.

Destination Brisbane Consortium, which is a joint venture spearheaded by The Star Entertainment Group, Chow Tai Enterprises, and Far East Consortium, awarded the construction of the fifth skyrise in the resort development to leading developer Multiplex in April 2019.

Chris Hinds, the Sales Director of YPM Group, an Australian-based project marketing company, revealed that the apartments would be up for sale in two months.

“We are so excited to announce Queen’s Wharf Tower, the tallest tower in the Queens Wharf Precinct is set to be released in April 2022.  Market interest is strong, and we have started connecting with potential buyers who have been registered after missing out on the first time, Queen’s Wharf Residences,” he said.

“Queen’s Wharf Residences is the fastest-selling residential project in Queensland after attracting an unprecedented level of local buyer interest and selling 75 per cent of the 667 apartments within two months,” Hinds concluded.

Exciting Reveals

It has taken seven years for the project to reach this point. The process began when the Echo Entertainment Group (now Star Entertainment) beat Crown Resorts and Greenland Holdings Group to the punch.

The project’s retail component will be headed up by DFS, a luxury brand retailer that intends to construct a three-level Galleria Emporium within Brisbane’s 40,000 square metre shopping precinct.

Once the project is completed, Queensland residents will have access to a new casino, four hotels, and over 50 new bars and eateries, accompanied by more than 2000 residential apartments.

Simon Crooks, Destination Brisbane Consortium’s Project Director, advised that Queen’s Wharf Brisbane will be an impressive addition to the city skyline and that its early 2023 opening is sure to revitalise Brisbane’s CBD.

“With the main integrated resort reaching level 20 in parts, construction has spilled into the public space areas and heritage buildings, many of which will become the locals’ favourite new dining spots. The nine heritage buildings, dated back to the 1800s, are being carefully restored and transformed into new shopping outlets, restaurants and bars as well as spaces for events, entertainment and performance, Crooks commented.

“Further to that, sections of the SkyDeck will be installed mid-year as we start to form Brisbane’s newest and hottest venue in town come 2023,” he added.​

A proposal by Victoria’s government to compel players at Crown Melbourne to adhere to maximum loss and time limits before they begin gambling has all but been abandoned.

These suggested measures originated from the Victorian royal commission into Crown, which was run by Ray Finkelstein, QC who recommended stringent new rules to tackle problem gambling. These included the aforementioned mandatory pre-commitment limits on how much and how long players intended to spend on the casino’s over 2500 pokies.

At the time of the commission’s findings, the Victorian government had committed to supporting Finkelstein’s 33 recommendations “in principle”.

Heavy Resistance

It appears, however, that the pre-commitment recommendation was doomed to failure as it met significant opposition from the Department of Justice and Community Safety. The department has pointed out that a similar mandatory system implemented in 2012 in a Canadian province was abandoned after only two years.

The Canadian initiative was roundly criticised for having little to no impact on problem gambling and was rife with loopholes such as the pre-commitment cards that could be used by different players and situations where players obtained numerous cards.

On the Warpath

Commissioner Finkelstein’s scathing report tore into Crown’s management of problem gambling, describing his findings as “perhaps the most damning discovery by the commission”.

“Crown Melbourne had for years held itself out as having a world’s best approach to problem gambling,” the report continued.

The commission’s evaluation of YourPlay, a government-managed voluntary pre-commitment system, was that it had “not been successful”, as it had achieved a minimal uptake rate and there were no mechanisms to stop individuals from playing once they had reached their limits.

Finkelstein recommended that YourPlay should be scrapped in favour of a “full, mandatory, binding, pre-commitment system for Australian residents gambling on electronic gaming machines at the Melbourne casino”.

He advised that players should have the ability to implement weekly or monthly limits on their losses and playing time. Gamblers would additionally be barred from playing pokies for over 12 hours over any 24 hours.

2021 saw the government including nine of Commissioner Finkelstein’s recommendations in approved legislation. These included appointing the former public sector corruption watchdog, Stephen O’Bryan, as a special manager charged with monitoring Crown for two years, after which he will determine whether the venue’s licence should be revoked.

The government has committed to a second set of legislation to be introduced in 2022 to integrate the outstanding 24 recommendations, which would include a large-scale initiative to curb problem gambling at the casino. Further details regarding the implementation of the new system are not available at this time.

Contentious Past

The spokesperson for the Gaming Minister, Melissa Horne, advised that the government acknowledges the “breadth and complexity” of the recommendations that have yet to be implemented. Horne explained that the second allotment of legislation would cover the last of the recommendations.

“We support these recommendations in principle, and further detailed analysis and consultation will be undertaken,” she added.​

SkyCity Entertainment has announced that it will require proof of COVID-19 vaccinations for entry to any of its venues in Adelaide, with effect from Thursday 10 February.

This measure applies to all employees and patrons aged 18 and older who intend to enter gaming venues and anyone over the age of 16 at non-gaming venues. All will be required to show proof of full vaccination or a medical exemption to gain entry.

This covers venues within the casino and hotel Eos by SkyCity, as well as bars and restaurants like Sol, iTL, Madame Hanoi and Sean’s Kitchen, to name a few.

David Christian, the COO at SkyCity shared that this move is part of the company’s intention to ensure that it employs the most stringent levels of protection against COVID-19 and to secure the health and safety of its staff and customers.

“As one of Adelaide’s largest single-site entertainment venues and as a significant employer, we need to take measures to help keep everyone safe,” he said.

“While we have existing robust health and safety measures in place to limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19, public health information and research confirms that COVID-19 vaccines provide the best protection for our employees and customers. SkyCity has been significantly impacted by the outbreak, and we have been encouraging our people to get vaccinated at the earliest opportunity.

“We would like to thank our highly valued employees and customers for their understanding,” he concluded.

Customers will need to show their COVID-19 digital certificate via their smart device or with photo identification accompanied by a printed certificate. Any customers with official medical exemptions will similarly need tooffer appropriate proof.