The final report recommended Crown Melbourne should be given a two-year grace period to correct its 'disgraceful' conduct or face losing its licence. It heard what commissioner Ray Finkelstein called an 'alarming catalogue of wrongdoing', including evidence of links to criminal gangs and repeated breaches of money laundering laws and the casino's contract with the state.
The Royal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence ran in mid-to-late 2021 after years of allegations of wrongdoing uncovered by the media and whistleblowers. The scheme was found to be in breach of the Casino Control Act. The guest would then pay the bill using a China Union Pay bank card, be given a voucher, and immediately exchange that voucher for gambling chips. The royal commission found that during that time, Crown devised a scheme where it would issue false receipts for hotel services. The process was uncovered at Victoria's royal commission into Crown's licence, which found the casino allowed foreign punters to use a Chinese-based bank card in order to gamble in Melbourne.īetween 20, Chinese nationals could not transfer more than $US50,000 per year out of the country. The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) on Tuesday told Crown Melbourne Limited it had launched disciplinary proceedings into what was dubbed the 'China Union Pay process'.
