Crown Melbourne Penalized with AU$120 Million Fine

This marks the second fine this year; in May, the VGCCC initially issued an AU$80 million fine for the prohibited use and acceptance of China's Union Pay cards for gambling activities at the Crown Casino in Melbourne.

The most recent 120 million dollar penalty was incurred from violating two grave concerns. The first relates to disregarding responsible gaming practices: “They breached the Responsible Service of Gambling code continuously over years by neglecting to prevent gambling harm, allowing patrons to gamble uninterruptedly, sometimes exceeding 24 hours,” states the VGCCC.

“Crown consistently failed in its legal and ethical responsibility to deliver its gambling services with an aim to reduce potential harm to its guests, their families, friends, and communities. These unprecedented fines, totaling $120 million imposed on Crown today, sound a strong warning that the Commission will not condone misconduct that heightens community risk to gambling-related harm.

In addition to shortcomings in responsible gaming, Crown Casino Melbourne also faltered in applying anti-money laundering practices.

Much like The Star casino, Crown will remain operational under the scrutiny of a special manager appointed by VGCCC. This precautionary measure keeps the establishments open, ensuring job security for thousands of workers.