Crown Perth To Become Subjected To An Investigation By The WA regulator?

Crown Resorts troubles just won’t end as the besieged gambling operator in Australia is most likely going to face another investigation. The Gaming and Wagering Commission (GWC) which is the gambling regulator in Western Australia has asked the state government to launch an investigation into Crown Perth.

Crown Perth is the only casino to operate in Perth and will now most likely be the subject of a state investigation, given the fact that Crown Resorts has been investigated by the New South Wales (NSW) gaming regulator and found guilty of multiple shortcomings.

When NSW launched an investigation into Crown Resorts, the Victorian gaming regulator also launched an investigation into Crown Melbourne – which is the flagship casino for Crown Resorts. The Victorian led investigation is still underway and the results are expected in the next couple of months.

ABC News (Australia)

Hence, it is not a surprise to see GWC pushing for an investigation as they suspect some of Crown’s shoddy business practices might have been absorbed by Crown Perth. The McGowan government is yet to respond to the GWC request which has also asked the government to view if Crown Perth is eligible to hold on to its casino license.

The NSW investigation resulted in the committee recommending that Crown Resorts be stripped of it’s A$2.2 billion Barangaroo casino license. A final decision is yet to be made on the Barangaroo casino license.

Reasons For Crown Perth Investigation

GWC has outlined a number of reasons as to why it wants the McGowan government to carry out a detailed investigation into Crown Perth. Some of the reasons given include to check on the relationship between close associates of Crown Perth, to see Crown Resort’s response before and while the NSW investigation was taking place and how effective the gambling regulator has been in regulating Crown Perth.

The report also asks the state government to review and check whether they need to make any amendments to current gaming laws or impose more stringent regulatory requirements in light of the NSW investigation and findings.

Crown Resorts and its former chairman James Packer admitted to lapses that allowed money laundering to take place and also acknowledged that they had ties to junket operators who in turn had times to criminal syndicates in Asia.

Crown Resorts responded to GWC’s request for an investigation and said that it would provide its full co-operation during the investigation.