The state government announced yesterday that it had determined the Crown Resorts subsidiary that holds the casino gaming licence for Crown Perth a “suitable entity” to operate the casino, three years after it was found unsuitable by a royal commission.
This is the last of Crown’s three properties across the country to be officially returned to suitability by state regulators, following decisions in Victoria and New South Wales last year.
Alongside its gaming offerings, Crown Perth is a major player in Perth’s business events offering, controlling several large event spaces, capable of seating thousands of delegates, alongside smaller spaces and almost 1,200 premium and luxury hotel rooms.
“Three years ago, the state government established the Perth Casino Royal Commission due to failures by Crown Perth to meet anti-money laundering/counter-terrorism financing obligations and prevent criminal activity,” said WA’s gaming minister, Paul Papalia.
“Today I can confirm we won’t be taking punitive action against Crown Perth, as it is now deemed a suitable entity to continue holding a gaming licence under the Casino Control Act 1984.
“The Gaming and Wagering Commission [GWC] will make former Independent Monitor Paul Steel a part of the GWC team to continue to monitor remediated activities by the casino and ensure effectiveness.”
The GWC chair, Gary Dreibergs, said the regulator had “built capacity and capability” since the royal commission.
“Going forward, [the GWC] will focus on developing an assurance plan to monitor the remediated activities by the Perth casino licensee to ensure it operates responsibly, lawfully and in the best interests of the Western Australian community.
“The Commission emphasises that, while suitability has been demonstrated, sustained cultural change and long-term commitment to reforms are essential. We will continue to monitor Crown Perth’s efforts to reduce gambling harm and uphold public trust.
“Crown Perth bears a long-term responsibility to minimise gambling harm and prevent criminal infiltration, while the Commission is responsible for monitoring and regulating Crown Perth to achieve those objectives.
“The Commission finds Crown Perth a suitable entity to continues to hold a casino gaming licence and therefore recommended to the minister not to exercise powers under s.21B. However, the efforts cannot be diminished now, as public confidence lies in the ability of Perth casino to maintain its current course.”
Crown Resorts said it had spent $200 million on reforming its culture and practices.
“Today’s announcement is recognition that we are a changed business,” said Crown Perth’s board chair, John Van Der Wielen.
“The community, our team members, our suppliers and our guests were relying on us to get this right – and we have.”
Meanwhile Crown Perth’s CEO, Brian Pereira, said “holding a casino licence means holding a social licence”.
“We have a responsibility to operate with the highest level of integrity every day. With our improved culture, processes and industry-leading standards, we are well-placed to continue delivering a safe and responsible environment for our guests.”
Since a 2021 report in New South Wales found Crown unsuitable to hold a casino licence in that state, Crown Resorts has been fined over $650 million for various regulatory failures.
The suitability finding in WA yesterday removed the potential for further fines in the immediate future.
“Our extensive business-wide transformation has set new benchmarks for the industry, creating a safer environment for our guests and the community,” said Crown Resorts CEO, David Tsai.
“With all three Crown properties now deemed suitable and retaining their casino licences, we are focused on remaining the safest place to game in Australia, while also delivering exciting world-class entertainment experiences for our guests.”
Crown Resorts was bought by private equity business Blackstone in 2022.
