Crown Resorts’ Barangaroo casino opening delayed after money laundering admission

Crown Resorts’ Barangaroo casino opening delayed after money laundering admission

Crown Resorts has been forced to delay the opening of the casino at its new Barangaroo property in Sydney next month, after the company dropped a money laundering bombshell during an inquiry into suspicious activity within its VIP player accounts.

Yesterday, the NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority formally requested Crown to delay opening gaming operations at its Barangaroo casino next month in light of ongoing concerns over the company’s suitability to run the casino.

ILGA chair Philip Crawford said the authority was not in a position to consider a range of essential regulatory applications on matters such as minimum bet limits, VIP membership policy, gaming area boundaries and “close associates” of the licence holder.

“We are hopeful that Crown Resorts will agree to our request to postpone opening of all gaming activities, which would be unable to begin without approval of these regulatory matters,” Crawford said.

“The authority has found ongoing evidence before the Bergin Inquiry to be extremely concerning, and that any gaming activity at the casino before the inquiry’s findings are released in February 2021 and considered by the authority would pose unacceptable risks on the community against the public interest.

“In light of this, we did not consider it appropriate to determine the applications before the authority until the findings of the Bergin Inquiry.”

Crawford said the ILGA was prepared to work with Crown to explore options that may enable the opening of non-gaming areas including accommodation, restaurants, bars and entertainment areas next month.

The ILGA’s announcement came shortly after Crown admitted during an inquiry hearing that money laundering had likely occurred via some of its accounts set up for VIP casino players.

Crown said in a statement yesterday that it had agreed to halt kicking off gaming operations at Crown Sydney until after the inquiry’s findings are released in February next year.

“Crown will continue to focus on opening the non-gaming operations at Crown Sydney, in consultation with ILGA, in the absence of the commencement of gaming operations,” it said.

Crown’s $2.4 billion Barangaroo project also includes a 350-room hotel, along with 14 bars and restaurants.

Last year, Crown settled an appeal from Infrastructure New South Wales (INSW) out of court over the development authority’s challenge to a NSW Supreme Court ruling in favour of the property developer.

This stemmed from INSW’s consideration of various bids to develop Central Barangaroo without first discussing and negotiating with Crown ways to retain the sightlines of Crown’s Barangaroo property.

Latest News

  • Aviation

Low-cost Indian carrier SpiceJet continues to burn cash

It’s not just low-cost Australian carriers that are facing hardship. SpiceJet, India’s version of Bonza, recently announced a 72 per cent reduction in its net loss versus last year. But, despite this improvement, the airline has posted losses for six straight years. But it has secured board approval to raise up to INR 30 billion […]

  • Attractions

SAKA Museum recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2024

AYANA Resort Bali’s newly-opened cultural and events centre, SAKA Museum has been recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list for 2024. Part of AYANA Bali’s resort destination, the museum integrates Bali’s rich history with state-of-the-art facilities, making it the centrepiece for the island’s spiritual and cultural heritage. TIME magazine’s inclusion of SAKA Museum in […]

  • Cruise

Silversea taps Barbara Biffi as senior vice president for global sales

Ultra-luxury and expedition cruise travel brand, Silverseas, has announced Barbara Biffi as its new senior vice president of global sales. Biffi joined the company in 2007, holding numerous positions and gaining a deep understanding of the brand, the preferences of its guests and its strategic goals, the company said. An Italian national with a wealth […]

  • Technology
  • Travel Agents

Amadeus welcomes FCM Travel as new reseller partner of Cytric Easy

Cytric Easy, the travel management tool embedded in Microsoft Teams, is to be integrated into FCM Travel portfolio. Amadeus and FCM Travel have extended their Cytric distribution agreement to include Cytric Easy. With this new agreement, global travel management company FCM Travel, becomes a reseller of the innovative travel management collaboration solution embedded into Microsoft […]