The casino regulatory body of Western Australia has admitted that it failed to properly manage some conflicts of interest at the time it was monitoring Crown Perth’s operations.
It is the Gaming and Wagering Commission – a part-time regulatory board consisting of 7 members that holds meeting every month – that currently regulates the casino property of the Australian gambling giant. In its operations, the Commission is assisted by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSCI).
Currently, a specially-established Royal Commission is still holding an investigation whether the more relaxed Government control was a contributing factor to the problem gambling and money laundering issues at the Perth casino of Crown Resorts.
The inquiry has heard that the Gaming and Wagering Commission of Western Australia chose not to investigate allegations of money laundering that emerged against Crown Resorts after the former legal boss of the gambling operator persuaded the regulator that the information was untrue and only sought to cause media sensation. The investigation also found evidence that the former chief casino officer of Western Australia used to go on fishing trips with a couple of Crown Resorts employees on a regular basis.
On February 1st, the Royal Commission heard the closing submissions in the probe as it is currently preparing to officially announce the investigation findings on March 4th, 2022.
WA Gaming and Wagering Commission Says It Had Taken Steps to Manage Possible Conflicts of Interest at Crown Perth
The Royal Commission of Western Australia is trying to find out whether the state gambling regulators effectively permitted Crown Resorts to self-regulate certain aspects of the operations of its casino in Perth.
An interim report highlighted some changes, including the reduced use of inspectors who had not been present on Crown Perth’s casino floor on a permanent basis since the middle of 2015. The report also unveiled that so-called junket operations were not regulated properly.
At the time when the damning report of NSW Commissioner Bergin was released in 2021, it was revealed that Crown Resorts had enabled or facilitated money laundering at its casino property in Perth through an account associated with Riverbank Investments. Paul Evans, the lawyer of Western Australia’s Gaming and Wagering Commission, explained that the regulator’s members received very limited remuneration, and the entire regulatory body was pretty much dependent on the department. He further noted that the watchdog urged no sympathy for the Australian gambling giant or any of its past or present executives.
Fiona Seaward, counsel for the department, shared that a number of steps to address controversial issues associated with the management of conflicts of interest had been taken. They, however, had not been the standard ones expected of a modern organisation operating in the public sector.
The investigation of the Royal Commission of Western Australia is set to hear the closing submissions from Crown Resorts’ lawyers and of its largest shareholder, James Packer, in the next few days.
- Author
Daniel Williams
