An inquiry by the New South Wales (NSW) Independent Gaming and Liquor Authority has heard that billionaire casino owner James Packer overruled objections to a sale that now ties Crown to a Chinese company that has been cited in other gaming regulators’ reports as having links to organised crime.
Michael Johnston, a director of two of Packer’s companies, Crown Resorts and Consolidated Press Holdings (CPH), told the inquiry that the $1.7 billion sale of a 19.9 percent stake in Crown to Lawrence Ho’s Melco Resorts was not well-considered and Packer overrode any objections.
