Crown Resorts Limited temporarily suspends all external junket activities
Australian casino operator Crown Resorts Limited has reportedly announced that it has suspended ‘all activity’ with external junket operators until the end of June as part of an in-house review into its ‘compliance and governance processes.’
According to a report from GGRAsia, the Sydney-listed firm made the revelation via an official filing as it continues to deal with an investigation into its license suitability being conducted by the New South Wales Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority. The source detailed that this far-reaching enquiry is looking into the operator’s relationship with foreign junket enterprises and whether it has been exercising appropriate oversight in dealing with issues involving suspected money laundering and corruption.
Supplementary supervision:
Crown Resorts Limited reportedly used the filing to explain that it was now also set to appoint someone to a newly-created ‘head of compliance and financial crimes’ post so as to further assuage regulatory fears that its coming $1.5 billion Crown Sydney development may eventually become a den of illegal gaming activities.
Pending premiere:
Ken Barton, Chief Executive Officer for Melbourne-headquartered Crown Resorts Limited, reportedly moreover mentioned that he is expecting to open the 75-story venue his company is bringing to the harborside Barangaroo district of Australia’s largest city ‘on or around’ December 14. The boss purportedly pronounced that the six-star New South Wales facility is due to debut featuring a casino complete with 129 traditional gaming tables and 66 electronic counterparts spread across two floors as well as about a dozen private salons containing a further 30 gaming tables.
Coronavirus closure:
Crown Resorts Limited is also responsible for the Crown Perth and Crown Melbourne casinos with this latter property reportedly still moth-balled owing to local social distancing restrictions tied to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Barton purportedly earlier told investigators that the temporary shuttering of his firm’s flagship venue means that it currently has ‘no prospect of any significant junket activity’ and would be relying on its anti-money laundering and financial crimes teams for ‘the approval or continuation of a relationship with a junket.’
Barton reportedly told the enquiry…
“Ultimately, it will be the head of financial crimes who will decide around whether we commence or continue a relationship with a junket.”