Former Crown chairman James Packer accuses lawmakers and regulators of trying to cripple casino industry

Former Crown Resorts owner James Packer has accused Australian lawmakers and gambling regulators of trying to “bankrupt the casino industry,” saying casinos had been saddled with punitive rules while pubs and clubs continued to thrive.

In a wide-ranging interview published by business outlet Rampart, Packer said Australian casinos were being undermined despite paying “hundreds of millions of dollars” for licences. “I think it’s outrageous what’s happening to the casinos in Australia. The pubs and the clubs are booming,” he said, criticising cash restrictions imposed on casinos but not on other gambling venues.

“Casino operators pay hundreds of millions of dollars to get their licences in the first place to differentiate themselves from the clubs and the pubs. Now you have a situation where cash can’t be used in the casinos, and cash is used in the pubs and the clubs,” Packer said.

Packer reserved his harshest remarks for former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, accusing him of reneging on a 2015 tax agreement and later introducing a surprise levy in 2022 that he said stripped AU$50 million ($32.26 million) in EBITDA from Crown. He said the move nearly derailed the AU$8.9 billion ($5.74 billion) sale of Crown to U.S. private equity firm Blackstone.

“Daniel Andrews is about my least favourite person in the world,” Packer said. “I think he is human filth … I hope he sues me. He almost ruined my life.” He added it was “a miracle” that Blackstone did not activate a material adverse change clause after the tax shift.

The billionaire also attacked Philip Crawford, Chief Commissioner of the NSW Independent Casino Commission, questioning how he remained in the role. “It’s one of the miracles of life that Philip Crawford’s got a job,” Packer said, claiming regulators unfairly targeted Crown while rival Star Entertainment “was behaving far worse.”

Crown lost its licences in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia following a series of inquiries, including the Bergin inquiry and the Finkelstein Royal Commission, which found the company’s conduct “illegal, dishonest, unethical and exploitative.” It has since won back all three licenses. 

Star Entertainment remains unsuitable in NSW and Queensland. The corporate regulator ASIC declined to prosecute Crown’s former board, citing insufficient evidence and statutory limits.

Packer expressed gratitude for Blackstone’s takeover in 2022, calling it one of his better business decisions. “I reflect [and] I’m so grateful that Blackstone came along,” he said, adding that earlier sales of stakes in Channel Nine, ACP, Consolidated Media, and Melco-Crown were also among his strongest moves.

The former casino mogul acknowledged personal responsibility for Crown’s failings, saying he had been misled by management but ultimately bore the blame. “At the end of the day, it’s my fault,” he said, recalling a period of heavy drinking and rising debt pressures during the height of the company’s troubles.