Two years after Crown Resorts’ Melbourne property came under government review, and following the acquisition by Blackstone Group, the flagship casino has been deemed fit to retain its license and continue to operate, overcoming a difficult regulatory spell that necessitated strict government supervision because of breach of anti-money laundering laws.

VGCCC Pleased with Progress and Ongoing Efforts

Much of this is now in the past, with the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC), a hardened regulator which emerged precisely because of omissions in the previous watchdog’s model, deeming the Crown Resorts property as suitable to carry on. The VGCCC allowed itself rare praise of the property, calling the “systematic failings” of Crown Melbourne a “thing of the past.”

But ongoing suitability will be significantly demonstrated by how Crown responds to instances of operational failure, not by their total absence.

VGCC chair Fran Thorn

VGCC chair Fran Thorn has spoken about the long process that the property and the regulator undertook to ensure that all regulatory benchmarks are met in full and conscientiously. Crown Resorts has confirmed that it will continue to work towards the betterment of its operations and achieving better sustainability.

“Over 10,000 pages of documentation have been submitted and 770 remediation activities have been delivered to our state regulators, fundamentally rebuilding our organization from the inside out,” Crown CEO Ciaran Carruthers said, indicating that the property has been actively working on clearing up its name.

Crown Resorts will also be paying $294 million worth of fines that have to do with the breaches of AML law, or some AU$450 million.

Too Big to Fail but Not Excused from Responsibility

Crown Melbourne is almost “too big to fail” as authorities seriously debated whether the property should lose its license altogether, but in the end, it was deemed that the adverse economic impact would only compound the matter. The property also remained vigilant over its name being misused by bad actors.

Crown Melbourne is the biggest private sector employer to operate out of a single location in the state, employing some 11,500 staff members, which gives it some bargaining leeway. Regardless, VGCCC’s attitude over the past two years suggested that the regulator would not have hesitated to pull the trigger if it had been forced to shutter the company’s license over non-compliance, however.

Recently, Crown Resorts conducted an internal investigation looking into alleged wrongdoings by CEO Carruthers who supposedly allowed patrons who were escorted out by security back in. These allegations proved false.

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Crown Melbourne has declared its commitment to becoming the world’s safest casino with the help of a groundbreaking initiative that comes in the form of a new carded play system.

Crown Melbourne Mandates Swipe Cards for Player Limits

The casino, once embroiled in controversy following the 2021 Finkelstein royal commission, has announced that poker machine players will now be required to use swipe cards to establish binding limits on both losses and time spent gambling. 

Crown Resorts chief executive, Ciaran Carruthers, expressed the casino’s ambition to operate the safest casinos globally, emphasizing the transformative nature of this pioneering shift, reported the Australian media outlet The Age.

Effective immediately, patrons utilizing Crown Melbourne’s 2500 poker machines will need to employ a swipe card to determine their maximum allowable losses and set time constraints. This innovative approach aims to promote responsible gambling and empower players to manage their gaming activities more conscientiously.

Additionally, players will receive detailed player activity statements, providing insights into their ongoing spending and playing habits. This move is part of Crown Melbourne’s commitment to fostering an environment of transparency and responsibility.

Crown Resorts Unveils Ambitious Plans for Statewide Gaming Reform

The new system is not limited to Crown Melbourne alone. Plans are underway to extend it to the state’s other 26,380 poker machines in pubs, clubs, and RSLs. 

This development coincides with a challenging period for the casino, as recent reports indicate an investigation into allegations that CEO Ciaran Carruthers intervened to permit blocked patrons to gamble.

Crown Resorts, having faced a substantial $100 million fine last year for allowing prolonged gambling at its Southbank complex, remains under scrutiny for past practices. This year, Crown Resorts also got slapped with a substantial AUD450 million ($309.8 million) fine by the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) for significant lapses in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism measures at Crown Perth and Crown Melbourne. 

This move towards heightened player protection aligns with broader industry reforms. Former premier Daniel Andrews previously announced stringent gambling and anti-money laundering measures in August, affecting all pubs and clubs. 

Back in September, Crown Resorts introduced a Premium Player Program at its Crown Melbourne and Crown Sydney casinos, excluding Crown Perth, in a strategic move to rebuild its. The program, directly overseen by Crown Resorts, enforced strict eligibility criteria, collaborating with regulators to ensure compliance with post-inquiry regulations, reflecting the company’s commitment to responsible gaming and ethical practices under the leadership of CEO Ciaran Carruthers.

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The 16-year-old boy, whose name has not been released to the media, placed the wagers between May and September 2022, The Guardian originally reported.

Teenager Spent Only a Few Minutes Wagering at a Time

A comment provided by the Preston Hotel legal representative, Ben Niall, explained that the teenager had only spent a few minutes betting before leaving the venue each time, and the total, $2,500 was indeed a small amount of what the boy had spent in other venues.

According to the publication, the teenager had been struggling with gambling addiction and had raked up to $95,000 of gambling debt. The boy is said to have gambled at least $100,000 at various venues across Australia.

The boy’s mother discovered her son’s addiction in April 2022 and had since sought help, but she kept hitting a dead end as most organizations – some 30 contacted in total – not be able to intervene and advised the mother to not allow her son access to money.

The mother had re-mortgaged her home and taken on extra work to cover the gambling debts. In the meantime, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission has looked into the venues that supposedly allowed the teenager to spend money there, despite his addiction and not being of the appropriate gambling age.

Niall told the court that his client did not want to see children gambling and stated that the venue wanted to operate as a legitimate business and not prey on vulnerable individuals, let alone teenagers.

Although true, the onus is always on the venue and provider of gambling products to ensure that people who are not of the legal gambling age or suffer from gambling addiction, are unable to access their products, as confirmed by Magistrate Carolyn Howe.

Venues Need to Beef Up Their Screening of Who They Let Gamble

The case has made it all the way through to a Melbourne court where the details bout the case came to light. Problem and underage gambling is a serious issue in Australia, with the country undertaking a slew of measures designed to overhaul the industry and create a safer gambling framework for all.

The country has just introduced a credit card ban for online gambling, which will be coming into effect over the next six months (counting from royal ascent onwards).

Recently, eight venues and Tabcorp have been named by the VGCCC, but it’s not yet entirely clear if that statement has to do specifically with the story of the 16-year-old gambler, as revealed by the court.

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Australia braces as the Melbourne Cup looms. The four-day Race that Stops a Nation is set to kick off on November 7, bringing tons of excitement to fans of racing and bettors alike. The $8.4 million feature race is set to take place at Flemington Racecourse and will be presented by 25 broadcasters in 209+ countries and territories.

The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) is set to produce a bespoke world feed for expectant audiences. This year’s broadcast will have the international racing community in mind, helping the club popularize the event among the global community.

 In the meantime, HBA Media, VRC’s dedicated global distribution agency, has improved distribution with eight major networks showcasing all the action.

FOX Sports will headline VRC’s international programs in the USA, allowing Americans to follow the exciting action. TransVision Indonesia, Premier Sports and FanCode will meanwhile air the Melbourne Cup in Indonesia, South East Asia and India, respectively.

In addition, Sky Sports Racing, ESPN, SportsMax and SuperSport will provide coverage to audiences in the UK & Ireland, South & Central America, the Caribbean and Africa, respectively. Meanwhile, DMI will continue to showcase the cases in the Middle East.

Full coverage details and the full list of broadcasters are available on HBA Media’s official website.

Executives Are Excited for the Event

David Campbell, VRC’s executive general manager of VRC Media, shared his thoughts, saying that the Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup will be the highlight of the carnival. He added that the partnership with HBA Media will allow his team to connect with the international racing audience.

This year we celebrate 30 years since Vintage Crop became the first internationally trained horse to win the Lexus Melbourne Cup and since that historic moment the VRC has been able to build our global footprint and ensure that the Melbourne Cup Carnival has a strong presence on the world stage.

David Campbell, executive general manager of VRC Media, VRC

HBA Media’s chief executive officer, Henry Birtles, also commented on the matter, expressing his team’s delight to guarantee the event a global footprint

The VRC’s continued investment in live and on-demand international content is an invaluable asset, and we are delighted that a global audience will be able to experience the full Carnival in all its splendor.

Henry Birtles, CEO, HBA Media

Birtles added that this year’s event marks a decade of partnership between HBA and the VRC and thanked the club for its continued support.

The post HBA Ensures Global Melbourne Cup Distribution ahead of the Race appeared first on Keno Wizard.

Crown Resorts’ woes continue as Crown Melbourne workers prepare to strike just as the highly anticipated Melbourne Cup looms. The Australian casino and hospitality giant recently encountered regulatory problems and is currently struggling with low visitation rates and taxes.

Crown’s workers also aren’t happy with the conditions they are getting. Their current demands include fair wage increases for every year of the new employment agreement and higher weekend and holiday pay rates. Furthermore, employees demand better work rosters that would allow workers to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Finally, the Crown workers demand service-based payment progression.

The upcoming strike comes amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis that continues to affect the global economy. As a result, workers across the world have been increasingly vocal in their demands for better conditions.

Crown Resorts’ workers in particular expressed concerns about the increasing bills and transportation costs that continue to affect their financial well-being.

Protests May Disrupt Crown amid the Melbourne Cup

A proposed schedule envisions strikes to take place on Saturday from 6 pm to 10 pm, Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm and Monday from 6 pm to 10 pm. The strikes will see the Crown workers stop work for four hours on each of the three days in demonstration of their disgruntlement with the current state of affairs.

The strike is set to coincide with the Melbourne Cup, potentially causing trouble for the casino company. Workers likely hope that this will exert pressure and make the higher-ups listen.

At first, the United Workers Union tried to organize a strike involving 3,600 workers, claiming that all union members should be allowed to strike in accordance with a recent vote. At first, Crown tried to bring this number down to only 1,700 but eventually agreed to allow 3,100 employees to strike.

The dispute between the casino company and its workers is ongoing.

Elsewhere, Detroit’s casino workers entered a third week of strike but a resolution seems to be on the horizon. The Detroit strike saw 3,700 unionized casino workers disrupt casino operations.

In the meantime, unionized Las Vegas workers continue to negotiate with local casino employers. A peaceful protest was recently staged but, unfortunately, led to arrests, much to the union’s dismay.

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As a result, Blackstone will be investing in what it sees as a much-needed renovation in Crown Melbourne, following the $6.5-billion acquisition of Crown Resorts last year. This was carried out amid increased pressure on the property, as it faced probes into various offenses and breaches of Australia’s gambling laws.

Blackstone Outlines Future Success of Melbourne Property

However, Blackstone president Jon Gray said that he was confident in Crown’s prospects in a recent interview with The Australian, echoing a group-wide sentiment that despite its tarnished reputation, Crown Melbourne is a shiny jewel in global gaming and hospitality.

All it needs to get back to its once-favored status is a bit of a buff. According to Gray, Crown Melbourne is one of a kind, with its scale and significance undoubtedly capable of attracting crowds from the world over.

Despite regulatory headwinds, the property remains as important in Blackstone’s global gaming and hospitality strategy as ever. He added:

Melbourne is a physical turnaround story and our objective would be to invest significant capital there and enhance the asset, which we think will be great for the community and great for tourism there as well.

Blackstone president Jon Gray

Gray said that the regulatory heat Crown was facing was not really anything that worried it as of right now. Crown recently agreed to settle a $300 million (AU$450 million) fine imposed by AUSTRAC, Australia’s financial regulator. This too has not made Blackstone any less confident in the property’s prospects.

If anything, Gray has drawn parallels to The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, a property that the group acquired for $1.7 billion in 2014 only to sell years later for $5.7 billion. At the time, Blackstone went in with the same confidence, seeing the potential of the famed company despite its financial troubles.

Present Challenges Should Not Dissuade Investment Zeal

Gray said that it was a combination of factors that made The Cosmopolitan sale worked the way it did, because the company found the right managers to take care of The Cosmopolitan and break away from the same practices that drove the business into the ground in the first place. Investment was also needed to refurbish the venue and Blackstone was more than happy to cough up.

Ultimately, though, Gray said that there is nothing to suggest that Crown Melbourne and Crown, in general, would lessen its appeal. Australia’s tourism industry is one of the country’s main economic drivers with cities such as Perth, Sydney and Melbourne popular destinations that people want to visit.

The post Blackstone Group Signals Confidence in Crown Melbourne Property appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The Melbourne Cup Carnival is famous not only in Australia but around the world. Popular as the country’s biggest racing event, it enjoys viewership from 120 nations. It is believed that more than 700 million people around the world enjoy the Melbourne Cup, which is a testament to its importance within the horseracing vertical. Now, as reported by The Australian, the gambling and betting giant Tabcorp has joined the race to become a broadcast rights holder for the Melbourne Cup.

Securing the rights would mark a milestone moment for Tabcorp, as it will enable it to continue to grow its broadcasting portfolio. Currently, the company owns three radio stations, as well as two broadcasting businesses. Additionally, Tabcorp holds the role of naming rights partner for the event that takes place after the Melbourne Cup, the Champion Stakes Day.

Joining the race, the company is reportedly considering an AU$100 million bid for the rights and is negotiating with Victoria Racing Club (VRC). The previous handover of the rights for the Melbourne Cup dates back to 2018 and it involved a five-year contract. Now, keeping in mind that the contract is about to expire in 2024, Tabcorp’s move doesn’t come as a surprise.

Talks about Broadcasting Rights Are Yet to Be Officially Confirmed

According to Adam Rytenskild, Tabcorp’s CEO, expanding the company’s collaboration with the VRC would mark an exciting moment. He pointed out that Tabcorp is proud to be the “exclusive wagering partner of Australia’s most famous week of racing.”

Despite the reported talks, VRC’s CEO, Steve Rosich, told The Australian that the company is looking forward to 2023’s Melbourne Cup Carnival in partnership with its broadcasting partner, Network 10. Addressing the talks about the broadcasting rights for 2024, Rosich said that those details are confidential.

“The VRC is looking forward to showcasing another exceptional Melbourne Cup Carnival in 2023 in conjunction with our broadcast partner Network 10. The VRC’s media rights process for the 2024 Melbourne Cup Carnival and beyond is confidential.“

Steve Rosich, CEO of Victoria Racing Club

If indeed Tabcorp secures the rights for the Melbourne Cup, that wouldn’t be the first time this has happened to the company. From 2020 to 2022, the company was the international rights holder of the marquee fixture.

The post Tabcorp Considers Bid for Melbourne Cup Broadcast Rights Holder appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The Victoria casino gaming regulator, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has issued a new formal director to Crown Melbourne, which will now have to comply with several important measures.

VGCCC Introduces New Rules for Crown Melbourne

Among those are obligatory implementations of mandatory carded play, mandatory time and spend pre-commitments for players on all electronic gaming machines (EGMs). These changes must become part of the industry by December.

The recommendations and formal direction are issued as a result of an extensive Royal Commission probe into the company, which has failed to uphold key anti-money laundering standards. Moving forward, though, Crown Melbourne will have to comply with the measure for all of its EGMs.

This measure may seem somewhat overreaching, but it is not necessary so, as it might give the property an edge in the rapidly changing regulatory landscape for gambling companies in Victoria and Australia in general. Moving forward, the use of cards to let players play at EGMs may become pretty much the norm.

Crown Melbourne will have time to adapt, as well as time to implement the technology and see how it impacts its revenue – if at all. Some lobbyists, independently from Crown Melbourne, have grumbled at the prospect of asking players to have pre-set time and spending limits, but this is precisely what is happening at the casino.

To do so, patrons would have to use the YourPlay system, a state-backed technological infrastructure. YourPlay system is only introduced as a voluntary system at other venues, though, meaning that only Crown Melbourne patrons would have to comply with the measure.

Going Beyond VGCCC Recommendations to Safeguard Consumers

Crown Melbourne has not wasted time and has sent a clear message that the company intent to help bolster player protection measures on its own, going well beyond what the VGCCC has recommended.

For one, the property has confirmed that it will be introducing more measures designed to help consumers stay on the right track. The company will remove any machines that feature an “unrestricted” bet limit, spin rate, or any other feature that could lead to pathological gambling behavior.

“We have again demonstrated our strong commitment to minimizing gambling harm and reducing the risk of money laundering by going above and beyond Royal Commission recommendations in our direction to Crown,” said VGCCC chairperson Fran Thorn commenting on the latest direction issued to Crown Melbourne, assuring that its careful implementation would be carefully monitored.

The post VGCCC Issues Mandatory Limits on Players at Crown Melbourne appeared first on Keno Wizard.

Letting minors gamble could cost a pub in Melbourne almost AU$ 222,000 ($149,850) after the Victoria gambling regulator got tipped, investigated and charged the venue.

Six Occasions of Letting Gambling by Minors

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) announced Friday that the staff at the Preston Hotel allowed a 16-year-old access to electronic terminals on six occasions last year – in May and September – which the minor used to place bets, reported The Guardian.

Glorija Kuzman, director for Gambling at the VGCCC, outlined that “all gambling operators – including venues and the holder of the statewide Wagering and Betting license – have an irrefutable legal requirement to do everything they can to stop children from gambling.”

“One of the most serious harms is minors gambling,” she said, deeply concerned with the violations.

The VGCCC charged the pub located in north-east Melbourne with 15 charges among which six counts of allowing a minor to gamble, six counts of failing to supervise its electronic betting terminals and three counts of allowing a minor to enter a gambling machine area – all carrying a maximum financial penalty of AU$221,904 ($149,785).

The Melbourne pub is not the only one charged for the violations as the watchdog also slapped charges on the holder of the statewide wagering and betting license, Tabcorp. Australia’s largest gambling operator is facing a maximum fine of nearly AU$104,000 ($70,200) over eight charges – four counts of allowing a minor to gamble and four counts of failing to supervise a gambling machine.

“We are very focused on managing the unique challenges of cash betting and continue to invest in this area to protect minors by stopping our equipment from being used in this way,” commented a spokesman for Tabcorp, adamant that the company is taking the matter seriously.

Urging the Public to Share Info on Possible Transgressions

The regulator also said other venues are also being investigated for similar offenses, urging the public to contact the watchdog and share information if they have witnessed occasions in which minors could have possibly gambled.

The charges against the Melbourne pub and Tabcorp is the latest enforcement action undertaken by the Victorian gambling watchdog which is not shy to enforce the regulations and slap huge fines on incumbents which are found to have violated the requirements.

At the end of last year, the VGCCC issued a fine of AU$1.35 million ($904,000) to the country’s major poker machine operator, Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH), for non-compliance with the Gambling Regulation Act 2003 related to the compulsory pre-commitment program YourPlay.

Earlier in the year, the watchdog penalized Crown Resorts with AU$80 million ($57.4 million) for allowing players at Crown Melbourne to use China Union Pay cards to make deposits between 2012 and 2016.

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The Victorian government has joined Western Australia in its efforts to minimize gambling harm at the troubled Crown Casino. The Royal Commission recently recommended betting and time limits for Crown Perth in Western Australia, and authorities in Victoria have already mandated similar measures for the operator’s Melbourne branch. Patrons must take mandatory breaks every few hours and face daily and weekly limits.

Daily and Weekly Limits Will Encourage Safer Gambling

The ongoing controversy surrounding The Crown has kickstarted some long-overdue regulatory reforms. The 2021 Royal Commission investigation revealed systemic regulatory violations, tax evasion, severe money laundering, and ties to criminal organizations. The operator’s Australian properties have since felt the ire of the local regulators, paying hundreds of millions in fines and facing ongoing restrictions until they fall back into compliance.

Crown Melbourne now operates under the watchful eye of the Victorian government, which oversees the ongoing reforms. The newest updates aim to combat the rising problem of gambling rates by introducing mandatory breaks and time limits. Patrons will take a non-optional 15-minute break for every three continuous hours of play and a 24-hour break if they have gambled for over 12 hours daily.

Victoria authorities hope that such forced breaks, combined with a 36-hour weekly limit, will help dissuade patrons from overspending. The region’s Casino and Gaming minister Melissa Horne hoped the measures would lay the foundations for a safer gaming environment. A September 2022 legislation also introduced a cash cap of $1000 per 24 hours.

The Royal Commission (evidence) showed incredibly predatory behavior on people… struggling on the casino floor and in the pokie machine rooms in particular.

Melissa Horne, Victoria Casino, and Gaming minister

Anti-Gambling Advocates Find Such Measures Lacking

Despite the authorities’ good intentions, some experts remain skeptical of the practical benefits of time limits. Alliance for Gambling Reform CEO Carol Bennett noted that individuals struggling with gambling addiction would move on to bet at another venue. The proliferation of pokeys across various establishments means a machine is always nearby.

The measures put in place in Crown should also be translated into pubs and clubs because we’re otherwise just shifting the problem.

Carol Bennett, Alliance for Gambling Reform CEO

Bennett tentatively agreed that such measures were a step in the right direction and urged widespread reforms encompassing all venues offering to gamble. However, each Australian region’s high degree of autonomy makes coordination difficult, and powerful lobbying groups ceaselessly fight to maintain the status quo. Even so, attempts to bring order to Australia’s premiere gambling destination should receive recognition.

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