Crown Melbourne casino under probe over potential money laundering breaches

Australian casino operator Crown Resorts has revealed it is being investigated for possible breaches of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.

The company told the Australian Stock Exchange it had been contacted by the country's financial crime regulator, Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Austrac), which informed the company that it has identified “potential non-compliance” by Crown Melbourne.

Crown has casinos in Melbourne and Perth, and is building one in Sydney, slated to open in December. If breaches are proven, it could face millions of dollars in fines and threats to its casino licences, the BBC reports. The company is already facing separate inquiries into its licences and questions over how it brought in high-roller gamblers, largely from China.

Last year, Nine Entertainment newspapers reported allegations that Crown Melbourne had business ties to tour operators with suspected crime links in Asia.

In a statement, Crown said Austrac had raised concerns after reviewing its Melbourne casino's "management of customers identified as high risk and politically exposed persons".

They included "concerns in relation to ongoing customer due diligence" and complying with "an anti-money laundering/counter-terrorism financing programme". Crown added it would co-operate with the investigation. The company said the matter had been referred to Austrac’s enforcement team, which has initiated a formal enforcement investigation into the compliance of Crown Melbourne.

The investigation by the federal anti-money laundering authority follows evidence before an inquiry by the New South Wales Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority into allegations of breaches of the Sydney licence. An inquiry into the Sydney casino licence has been investigating Crown Melbourne's high-roller room and other business dealings. Earlier this month, Crown's billionaire former chief executive James Packer was among those who gave testimony.