Crown Resorts has strongly denied accusations made by an Australian politician under parliamentary privilege that it manipulated slot machines and breached financial transaction disclosure laws at Crown Casino in Melbourne.
Andrew Wilkie, an independent MP known for his strong anti-gambling stance, claimed in a speech to parliament on Wednesday that Crown had committed a range of offences including disabling lower bet options and enabling a prohibited “autoplay” function on some slot machines, known more commonly as poker machines in Australia.
Citing three former casino staff as his source, he also accused the company of allowing drug use, covering up domestic violence, letting staff gamble on premises and failing to report some transactions of over AU$10,000 as required by law.
“If these allegations are true, then Crown would be facilitating money laundering for any number of nefarious reasons like tax fraud, drug running and even terrorism,” Mr Wilkie said.
Crown Resorts was quick to respond on Wednesday, stating, “Crown Resorts Limited rejects the allegations made today under parliamentary privilege by Mr Andrew Wilkie MP, as reported in the media, concerning the improper manipulation of poker machines and other illegal or improper conduct at Crown Casino in Melbourne.
“Crown calls on Mr Wilkie to immediately provide to the relevant authorities all information relating to the matters alleged.”
Mr Wilkie later revealed to local media that he was unaware how true the allegations were, but nevertheless called for an investigation by both the federal and Victorian state governments.
He also suggested that the Victorian Commission for Gaming and Liquor Regulation was potentially complicit in the alleged breaches.
Mr Wilkie was behind a previous push to reduce maximum bet limits on slot machines in Australia and to ban television gambling advertising at certain times.
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