Liquor and Gaming NSW is working to obtain a “daily upload of relevant transaction data” from machines at The Star.Credit:Louie Douvis
The continuing gap in oversight emerges amid a royal commission-style inquiry into the casino giant,which has heard evidence it failed to target money laundering and organised crime,disguised gaming charges as hotel expenses and lied to banks.
Revelations at the inquiry prompted an extraordinary intervention from Infrastructure and Cities Minister Rob Stokes on Monday,who questioned whether casinos were worth the “proven harm” they inflicted on the community.
Mr Stokes said a “veritable cesspit of dishonesty,tax evasion,junkets,money laundering” had been exposed by last year’s Bergin inquiry into Crown and should prompt NSW to reconsider the future of casinos entirely.
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A government source,who is not authorised to comment on the issue,said the comments “do not reflect the position of the NSW government in regards to casino regulation”.
Poker machines in pubs and clubs across NSW are captured by a central monitoring system that records all activity and flags suspicious transactions and indicators of money laundering,over which the regulator has unfettered access.
Gaming machines at The Star,however,have been subject to a monitoring system known as SYNKROS since 2008,which is owned and managed by the casino. The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority has never gained access to the program.