• Subscribe
  • Magazines
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
Saturday 30 August 2025
  • zh-hant 中文
  • ja 日本語
  • en English
IAG
Advertisement
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
IAG
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
IAG
No Result
View All Result

Crown moves closer to suitability as NSW casinos agree to go cashless

Ben Blaschke by Ben Blaschke
Thu 13 May 2021 at 12:46
Australian AML watchdog says casinos, not regulators, must oversee junket compliance

Crown Sydney

28
SHARES
710
VIEWS
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

The NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) has outlined several agreements it has reached with Crown Resorts that it says provide a genuine pathway for the company to achieve suitability, including an agreement for both Crown and its Sydney rival Star Entertainment Group to transition towards cashless gaming.

An update on Crown’s progress was provided by ILGA Chairman Philip Crawford at a press conference on Thursday in the wake of a report handed down by Commissioner Patricia Bergin in February that found the company unsuitable to hold a state casino license for its AU$2.2 billion (US$1.6 billion) Crown Sydney development.

According to ILGA, Crown has now agreed to pay AU$12.5 million towards the costs of the Bergin Inquiry and to immediately commence payment of an annual AU$5 million Casino Supervisory Levy it had allegedly been previously reluctant to pay.

The company also reiterated its commitment to cease all international junket operations and to phase out indoor smoking at its Australian resorts by December 2022.

The most notable agreement, however, relates to cashless gaming with the regulator outlining plans to implement cashless card technology linked to each individual’s identity as well as to a recognized financial institution.

“The onus there is being able to trace where the money is coming from,” said Crawford. “It is very consistent with the KYC technology and regulations that our banks operate under.”

Star, which has reached the same agreement with ILGA, told IAG, “Customers are demanding alternatives to cash across all sectors and it’s inevitable gaming will move in the same direction.

“The Star has previously discussed with ILGA the prospect of building and trialing solutions. We’ve also invested in technology to develop the scenarios that will enable future cashless gaming.

“This will be a gradual transition with the customer in mind, with an implementation timeline still to be determined.”

There is still some work to be done before Crown can reach suitability, with ILGA awaiting the results of independent audits into the company’s accounts to ensure there have been no breaches by organized crime. Two Crown accounts found to have handled criminal funds by the Bergin Inquiry, as well as the Crown subsidiaries that operated them, have already been shut down, Crawford said.

An independent monitor has also been appointed to report on Crown’s culture, AML controls and corporate governance.

Despite this, Crawford said he expects the company to achieve suitability – likely sometime in Q3 – based on their current progress under Executive Chairman Helen Coonan. He did, however, fire a parting salvo at the company’s previous board and executive team for their “adversarial and aggressive” approach to negotiations before the release of the Bergin Report in February.

Five Crown board members – Guy Jalland, Michael Johnston, Andrew Demetriou, Harold Mitchell and John Poynton – plus CEO Ken Barton and General Counsel Mary Manos have stepped down in recent months.

“All the auspices are that [Crown] will achieve [suitability] but I didn’t know in February whether they would,” Crawford said.

“They had to have the will to do it and I reckon it was on the line there. The old management I reckon wanted a fight. I suspect they wanted to take us on with further litigation and I just think that’s a nil sum game for someone to take on a regulator. That’s just silly and would have had the immediate financial consequence of never being able to guess when the casino would open and when they would have  their license.

“I think Helen Coonan realized commercially that they needed to work with us. She listened to Bergin who identified some very serious issues and attitudes. I’m pretty amazed she has achieved what she has in four months.

“A lot of the directors realized they had to go and some of the senior management had to go. “That was so obvious from what Bergin had to say.

“So Crown is going to be quite a different company to the one you saw a year ago.”

RelatedPosts

Australia’s Star Entertainment Group says available cash halved in December 2024 quarter as liquidity crunch bites again

Star Entertainment Group falls to AU$471.5 million loss in FY25 as remediation, regulatory hurdles continue to bite

Fri 29 Aug 2025 at 07:38
Asia market roundup

Asia market roundup

Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 12:26
Crown Resorts found suitable to retain Melbourne casino license but China investigation ongoing

Crown Melbourne given two-year extension to deadline for implementation of mandatory carded play across table games

Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 06:47
A moral defense of gambling

Star Entertainment Group says lender group’s terms around requested covenant waivers “unacceptable”

Wed 27 Aug 2025 at 13:47
Load More
Tags: AustraliaCashless gamingCrown ResortsCrown SydneyHelen CoonanNSW Independent Liquor and Gaming AuthorityPhilip CrawfordStar Entertainment Group
Share11Share2
Ben Blaschke

Ben Blaschke

A former sports journalist in Sydney, Australia, Ben has been Managing Editor of Inside Asian Gaming since early 2016. He played a leading role in developing and launching IAG Breakfast Briefing in April 2017 and oversees as well as being a key contributor to all of IAG’s editorial pursuits.

Current Issue

Editorial – Flipping the script

Editorial – Flipping the script

by Ben Blaschke
Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 12:30

This month represents an important milestone for Inside Asian Gaming as we launch IAG EXPO – an expansion of the...

Asia market roundup

Asia market roundup

by Ben Blaschke
Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 12:26

Inside Asian Gaming takes a deep dive into the state of Asia-Pacific’s key gaming markets: who’s hot, who’s not and...

Rewriting the rules

Rewriting the rules

by Newsdesk
Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 11:43

IAG EXPO, taking place at Newport World Resorts from 8 to 10 September, is not your usual trade show. IAG...

Test of character

Test of character

by Newsdesk
Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 11:28

Since its establishment in 1989, Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has developed into the world’s most trusted name when it comes...

Evolution Asia
Your browser does not support HTML5 video.
Aristocrat
GLI
Nustar
SABA
Mindslot
Solaire
Hann
Tecnet
HKUST
NWR

Related Posts

All your sports entertainment with SABA Sports – always fair and sharp since 1998.

All your sports entertainment with SABA Sports – always fair and sharp since 1998.

by Newsdesk
Fri 29 Aug 2025 at 18:57

CLIENT PROMOTION Since 1998, SABA Sports has stood as the trusted backbone of the world’s most respected sports betting brands. Built on real-time intelligence and operational excellence, we have earned our reputation as the definitive partner for leading operators worldwide....

Newly appointed Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra expected to continue pursuit of legalized casinos

Thai casino bill dead in the water as Constitutional Court removes Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office

by Ben Blaschke
Fri 29 Aug 2025 at 18:44

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been removed from office for ethics violations after the Constitutional Court ruled 6-3 against her on Friday. She becomes Thailand’s sixth Prime Minister to be removed by a court or legal ruling since 2008...

Australia’s Star Entertainment Group says available cash halved in December 2024 quarter as liquidity crunch bites again

Star Entertainment Group falls to AU$471.5 million loss in FY25 as remediation, regulatory hurdles continue to bite

by Ben Blaschke
Fri 29 Aug 2025 at 07:38

Australia’s Star Entertainment Group has reported a statutory loss of AU$471.5 million (US$308 million) for the financial year ended 30 June 2025, impacted by a 29% year-on-year decline in group-wide revenue including a 37% fall in gaming revenue. Although the...

Resorts World Las Vegas – Lighting up the north

Recovery of VIP gaming business helps Genting’s Resorts World Las Vegas book improved revenues of US$180 million in 2Q25

by Ben Blaschke
Fri 29 Aug 2025 at 05:30

Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV), the US flagship of Malaysian gaming giant Genting Berhad, saw revenues grow by 8% quarter-on-quarter to US$180 million and EBITDA by 80% to US$18 million in 2Q25, with the company pointing to improved hold and...

Your browser does not support the video tag.


IAG

© 2005-2025
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
  • NEWSFEED
  • MAG ARTICLES
  • VIDEO
  • OPINION
  • TAGS
  • REGIONAL
  • EVENTS
  • CONSULTING
  • CONTRIBUTORS
  • MAGAZINES
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • Magazines
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • About
  • Home for G2E Asia

© 2005-2025
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • English