Crown Perth Retains Operating Licence After Review
Crown Perth has received a significant reprieve from the Western Australian government, allowing it to retain its gaming license without penalty or conditions. This decision comes three years after a Royal Commission found the casino operator unfit to hold a license due to concerns over its ability to minimize harm and prevent crime.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:Since the Perth Casino Royal Commission's report was presented to state parliament in 2022, the future of the state's only casino has hung in the balance. The royal commission uncovered a range of serious failings by Crown Resorts in Perth, including enabling money laundering, allowing criminal groups to operate in the casino, and failing to reduce harm associated with casino gambling.
However, rather than recommending the revocation of Crown's license, the commission prioritized remediation and reform, appointing an independent monitor to supervise Crown's efforts to improve its operations and compliance. For over two years, the monitor closely oversaw Crown's reform activities and, in January, presented its final report to the government.
Out of 59 recommendations proposed by the royal commission, the casino has implemented thirty-two, 18 are awaiting implementation, and 9 require legislative amendments before they can be enacted.
I have found on advice from the Gaming and Wagering Commission, that Crown Perth is a suitable entity for operating a casino without any conditions or penalties. They have comprehensively changed their practices, they've had to implement new procedures, buy new equipment, apply new methods to ensure that they are complying with the recommendations.There are practices and procedures in place to address anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist funding measures that are required and also further measures to reduce the harm from gambling.
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A New Era of Compliance
During the period of operational review, Crown Perth embarked on a large-scale transformation program tagged Enhanced Perth Remediation Action Plan, under which it delivered 342 measures targeting financial crime, compliance, governance, and responsible gambling.
The company has also invested around $200 million into reforms, including introducing mandatory carded play on all electronic gaming machines at Crown Perth from December 1, 2025
In 2022, Blackstone took over Crown Resorts in an $8.9 billion acquisition. Much of the casino's improvement in regulatory compliance has been attributed to the new ownership.
They took on Crown knowing the issue and we knew how much it would take to fix and I think we're there. I'm very confident now with the new independent board, completely new management team and being owned by the world's largest investor…we have the right moral compass in place.
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