A high roller with a severe gambling addiction has taken Crown Melbourne to court, alleging the casino’s “predatory” practices caused him to lose more than $4.5 million over three and a half years.
Crown Resorts chair Helen Coonan and the CEO of Crown Melbourne will step down at the end of this month, the latest heads to roll as the casino operator attempts to persuade Royal Commissioner Ray Finkelstein QC that it should keep its Victorian licence.
Crown Melbourne is not presently suitable to hold a casino licence in Victoria, counsel assisting the royal commission into the casino operator said Tuesday.
Crown’s former legal boss threatened to call the federal gaming minister after Victoria’s gaming watchdog pushed the company to implement stronger anti-money laundering controls on junket players, the royal commission into Crown Melbourne has heard.
A “belligerent” Crown Melbourne lied to investigators probing the arrests of 19 of its China-based staff, and the casino operator could face charges of contempt for failing to respond to demands for documents by the gaming watchdog, an inquiry has been told.
Corrs Chambers Westgarth will assist former Federal Court judge Ray Finkelstein QC’s royal commission into whether Crown Melbourne is suitable to hold a casino licence in the state, and has kicked off by seeking documents from James Packer’s Consolidated Press Holdings.
A royal commission has been established in Victoria to look into whether Crown Melbourne is suitable to hold a casino licence in the state, following a damning report from the NSW gaming authority.