Australia’s Crown Resorts has announced that it will immediately cease all donations to political parties.
Crown issued a short announcement via the Australian Securities Exchange on Tuesday morning in which it confirmed that it and any associated entities would “cease making monetary or in-kind political donations, effective immediately” – the latest in a series of steps seemingly aimed at transforming the company’s image in the wake of the damning NSW Bergin Report.
The decision to cease donations comes as the two states in which Crown currently operates gaming facilities – Victoria and Western Australia – prepare to launch Royal Commissions into the company’s suitability to retain its respective casino licenses.
Crown was recently deemed unsuitable to hold a license in NSW as a result of recommendations contained within the Bergin Report but has been working with the state’s regulatory body to address various issues of compliance.
Those issues have seen five members of the board, the CEO and the company’s general counsel and secretary all step down.
Independent MP and renowned anti-gambling campaigner Andrew Wilkie told local media outlet AAP it was time politicians stopped accepting any donations from gambling firms.
“Frankly no political party should accept donations from any gambling company, and the pressure is now on the parties to follow Crown’s lead and promise to end their reliance on the industry,” Wilkie said.
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