Crown Resorts may be on the verge of opening its real-money casino component of its $2.2 billion Crown Sydney Hotel Resort “in the next weeks,” local media sites claim. 

New Real-Money Casino in Sydney

The property swung open its doors for the first time towards the end of 2020, but casino operations were suspended following an Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority investigation led by former Supreme Court judge Patricia Bergin, which determined that the company was unfit to introduce the tower’s gaming floor. 

The nearly 800-page assessment of Crown’s suitability, which was prompted by allegations made by a variety of Australian media outlets, alleged that Crown, or its agents, affiliates, or subsidiaries, engaged in money laundering; violated gambling laws; and partnered with junket operators linked to drug traffickers, money launderers, human traffickers, and organized crime groups. According to a representative for the ILGA, the Authority is expected to approve Crown to begin gambling on a conditional basis within the next few weeks.

While the Authority has not changed its assessment that Crown is unsuitable to hold a restricted gaming license until it addresses the significant issues raised by the Bergin Inquiry, allowing gaming to begin on a conditional basis will assist the Authority in assessing Crown’s progress toward suitability. It is currently impossible to predict when a final assessment of appropriateness will be made. This comes on the heels of Crown’s recent support for Blackstone’s A$8.9 billion (US$6.3 billion) buyout, with the group stating that it is striving to “create momentum on our company-wide initiatives” in order to progress “various regulatory procedures.”

Melbourne Casino Update

Additionally, the corporation retained its Melbourne casino license in October 2021, despite a Victorian royal commission finding the group “unsuitable” for engaging in “illegal, dishonest, immoral, and exploitative” activities. Crown is awaiting the publication of the final report of the Perth casino royal commission, which is scheduled for March 4, 2022, in Western Australia, while the group’s Melbourne and Perth venues await the outcome of an AUSTRAC investigation into potential violations of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.