Victoria’s Government Cracks Down on Crown Casino, Gamblers With New Laws

A sign advertises Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia, on June 9, 2022. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

Victoria’s government is introducing new laws that target Crown Melbourne and its patrons in the latest wave of crackdown on punters and money laundering at the casino.

Premier Daniel Andrews said in a statement that the package of reforms, which covered 12 recommendations from the Royal Commission, was a “world first” and most robust measure against any casino in Australia.

Under the new laws, all Australian residents visiting Crown Melbourne must set a limit on how much they are prepared to lose before playing pokies.

In addition, they are only allowed to spend a maximum of $1,000 (US$702) per day and have to use casino-issued cards and present ID to gamble or collect winnings of more than $1,000.

“This legislation is the next step in our nation-leading reforms to ensure the disgraceful conduct uncovered by the royal commission will never happen again in Melbourne,” Gaming Minister Melissa Horne said.

“Some of the strongest protections in the world will now be in place at Melbourne’s Crown casino—including mandatory pre-commitment.”

A window cleaner works on the facade of Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia, on June 9, 2022. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

Crown Melbourne, the main subject of the new regulations, was found to be involved in a range of illegal and exploitative behaviour, including facilitating money laundering.

In May, Victoria’s Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) fined the casino $80 million for organising a scheme that enabled illegal money transfers from China.

Under the new measures, the VGCCC has required Crown to hold a single bank account for patrons to deposit funds to prevent illegal money transfers through and within the casino.

All Reforms To Be Implemented Before December 2025

The Victorian government said while it expected the mandatory pre-commitment for Crown’s pokies to take effect by the end of 2023, the complete reforms had to be carried out by December 2025 at the latest.

The reason is some technologies need time to be developed as they do not currently exist.

The state government also said it would work with Crown and the casino commission to schedule the remaining reforms.

In addition, to ensure the accountability of Crown Melbourne, the new laws require any person or entity wanting to own more than five percent of the casino to receive approval from the commission.

All of the regulation costs will be borne by Crown, and the casino also has to impose a smoking ban in high-roller rooms in line with other jurisdictions.

“We’re getting on with holding Crown to account and implementing every one of the royal commission’s recommendations,” Horne said.

While nine recommendations were put on hold, the Victorian government said it would implement them in the next 12 months.