Crown Resorts, the biggest owner and operator of land-based casinos in Australia, has received more bad news from Victoria after the state regulator has decided to slap the company with a fine worth 30 million Australian dollars.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission found that Crown Melbourne had engaged in a “bank cheque practice”, which allowed casino patrons to gamble by depositing bank cheques made out to themselves and not to Crown. Those patrons were allowed to use those funds for gambling even before the respective cheques had cleared.
This fine takes the total amount Crown Melbourne has been fined over the past year to a staggering 230 million Australian dollars. The casino operator has been previously fined 80 million Australian dollars in May 2022 for the illegal use of China Union Pay cards to fund gambling transactions and a further 120 million Australian dollars in November 2022 for several failures to comply with Responsible Service of Gambling obligations.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission issued a statement in which it pointed out that casinos in the state can’t allow the use of cheques except in limited circumstances, otherwise they would be exposed to significant money laundering risks.
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In the case of Crown Melbourne, the Commission found that the use of cheques was not an exceptional practice, it was long-running and also undocumented, that is why it was seen as “a serious contravention.”
