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WA to review Crown laundering allegation

Michael RamseyAAP
WA authorities will review a "deeply concerning" NSW gaming regulator report about Crown Resorts.
Camera IconWA authorities will review a "deeply concerning" NSW gaming regulator report about Crown Resorts.

West Australian authorities will urgently review a "deeply concerning" report which accused Crown Resorts of facilitating money laundering at its casinos, but Premier Mark McGowan has rejected calls for its licence to be suspended.

The report by independent Commissioner Patricia Bergin has accused Crown of laundering money through subsidiaries' bank accounts at its Perth and Melbourne operations.

In a report to the NSW gaming authority, Ms Bergin has found Crown - which allegedly facilitated that laundering for at least five years - is not fit to run its Sydney casino.

Mr McGowan on Wednesday said Crown was in a position of privilege as WA's sole casino operator.

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"Obviously we have no tolerance for criminality or any sort of inappropriate conduct going on in the casino," he told reporters.

"If you are in that privileged position, you have the responsibility to do the right thing and I think that's what everyone would expect."

Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie, a long-time Crown critic, has called for Crown's casino licences to be suspended - a call rejected by the premier.

"We know that lots of people's jobs depend upon it," Mr McGowan said, adding that a second Perth casino was not on the government's agenda.

"We will ensure that we have the highest standards but we take account of the fact we need to keep people employed."

WA's Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries has ordered the state solicitor to urgently assess the report and provide advice on its findings.

The Gaming and Wagering Commission had initially not been due to meet until February 23.

But the state government on Wednesday said the meeting would be brought forward to consider the solicitor's advice.

"The department has also requested that the Commission meet urgently once it has received the state solicitor's advice in order to consider the report sooner than planned," Racing and Gaming Minister Paul Papalia said in a statement.

"Some of the recommendations of the inquiry might not be relevant to Western Australia such as the recommendation to create an independent casino commission, noting that WA only has one casino with an independent gaming and wagering commission.

"However, other recommendations might be relevant, for example the suggestion of adopting Singapore's legislative requirements for a casino operator to concurrently report suspicious behaviour to both AUSTRAC and the state authority."

Crown is described in the report as WA's largest single-site private employer, engaging 8500 staff across its Perth operations.

The report also found that Crown partnered with junket operators who have links to organised crime groups even after being made aware of these connections, and that the company exposed its staff to the risk of detention in China.

NSW authorities will now decide whether to cancel Crown's licence to run the Barangaroo casino completely, suspend it, or impose conditions.

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