Concerns surrounding the infiltration of organised crime in Australian casinos are the subject of an investigation byAustralia's peak criminal intelligence agency,the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.
"The lack of transparency of casino junket operations,anonymity of participants and obscurity around beneficial ownership,source and distribution of junket funds provide opportunities for criminal exploitation,"said the ACIC chief,Michael Phelan.
These are serious allegations that must be investigated by the relevant authorities as a matter of urgency.
Victorian gaming minister Marlene Kairouz
This week the Morrison government launcheda separate inquiry into the conduct of Commonwealth public servants amid revelations that Crown Resorts'staff based on mainland China between 2014 and 2016 were instructed to contact certain visa offices known to have softer vetting in order to fast- track applications for high rollers.
"There are a lot of allegations that have been made,some of them quite vague,"Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday."But our investigation,I can assure you,going through the appropriate agency,will not be vague."
Ms Kairouz said she welcomed the dual federal investigations. In a statement on Thursday night,the VCGLR said it would provide any assistance it could and would"cooperate fully"with the investigations.
"Allegations that fall within the remit of the Commission will be examined by the VCGLR,"a spokeswoman said.
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The Andrews government and its regulator,the VCGLR,have been under pressure this week for failing to properly police the operations of Crown's flagship casino in Southbank,with some industry experts and independent MPs accusing them turning a blind eye due the hundreds of millions of dollars Crown pays in state taxes.
"The power of the dollar over rules any concerns[regulators] may have had in terms of issuing a'carte blanche'for those people to operate here,” said Ben Lee,a prominent gambling industry consultant based in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau.
In a push to tap into a pipeline of super-rich Chinese punters amid a crackdown in the gambling mecca of Macau,Crown Resorts executives in 2014 devised a strategy to aggressively strengthen ties with junket operators,documents show,some of which had links to organised crime.
The head Crown's major junket partner,Suncity,which also provides VIP punters to other Australian casinos,has been blocked by Home Affairs from entering Australia,and has been identified as a person of interest to Australian law enforcement regarding large-scale money laundering claims.
Crown Resorts'11-person board this week launched an attack on an investigation byThe Age,The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes,saying in a widely circulated advertisement that it was"deceitful,""unbalanced"and"sensationalised".
Crown said it had"a comprehensive anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing program"and"robust process"for vetting junket operators through what the company said was a combination of probity,integrity and police checks.
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