25 February 2021
Betting is a very popular pastime for a lot of Australians, but a new casino hotel in Sydney has opened its doors without gambling being permitted.
The Crown Sydney became the tallest building in the city when it opened its doors, with around US$1.7 billion having been spent on the development in total.
However, with a licence yet to be granted for gambling at the site, visitors are not yet going to be able to play casino games like roulette, poker and blackjack.
But why is it that the Crown Sydney has not yet been given the green light to open fully? A raft of problems have been experienced at the Crown Sydney since the project was first announced.
The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) is the gaming regulator in charge of operations in New South Wales. After the recent recommendation by the Bergin Report involving the Crown Resorts Sydney development, the ILGA has now officially deemed the operator unsuitable for a casino license in the state.
The report issued by Commissioner Patricia Bergin is 751 pages in length and came after a long inquiry into the suitability of Crown Resorts to hold a license in Sydney. The company faces allegations of money laundering at several casinos. The report also indicated that the company was in violation of its license in New South Wales due to selling a 19.99% stake in the company to Melco Resorts & Entertainment, a Macau-based casino operator.
Charles Livingstone
Crown casino and hotel development, Barangaroo Sydney. Dan Himbrecht/AAP
After months of hearings, characterised by spectacular admissions including threats of violence, the report of the Bergin Inquiry into the probity of Crown Sydney Gaming, a subsidiary of Crown Resorts Limited, has been tabled in the NSW parliament.
Crown Resorts runs the Crown casinos in Melbourne and Perth.
The Inquiry found that Crown Sydney Gaming was “not a suitable person” to operate the Sydney casino.
It also found the parent, Crown Resorts Limited, was “not suitable to be a close associate of the licensee”.
The serious corporate failures relate to