Crown Perth Opens And Shuts Again Due to Covid-19 Cases
While Australia has done well to curtail the COVID-19 virus, the detection of three new cases linked to Perth’s hotel quarantine system has seen Crown Resorts shut its casino operations in the city, just two days after reopening.
Inside Asian Gaming reports that the Australian casino giant issued an announcement confirming it had been granted permission to reopen on May 1, following an easing of government restrictions.
However, barely hours had passed before news broke of three new community transmitted cases of COVID-19, prompting the government to reintroduce movement restrictions on the city and surrounding regions.
Crown said these restrictions required the immediate closure of the casino, including food and beverage facilities, until at least Saturday, May 8.
“Crown Perth continues to operate all hotels, non-gaming food and beverage venues, banqueting and conference facilities,” it said.
Perth had previously entered a snap three-day lockdown from April 23, after a man staying in hotel quarantine tested positive days after checking out.
Some restrictions remained in place for another four days after the lockdown ended, but it wasn’t until 24 hours after all restrictions were eased that three new cases, a hotel quarantine security guard and two of his housemates, tested positive on Saturday.
Crown Perth remains the focus of an ongoing Royal Commission currently being held in Western Australia in response to the findings of an inquiry into Crown’s operations held in the state of New South Wales.
The subsequent Bergin Report found Crown unsuitable to retain its NSW casino licence, although the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority has flagged the likelihood that the licence will be reissued later this year.
Crown Perth royal commission plans outlined
The Western Australian government laid out its plan for the royal commission into Crown Resorts in April, with the commission set to explore Crown’s suitability to hold a casino gaming licence for Crown Perth.
The royal commission will also determine the adequacy of the state’s regulatory framework.
Announced in response to the New South Wales royal commission, the WA royal commission will be required to report and inquire on the suitability of Crown Resorts and its local subsidiaries to continue to hold a licence for Crown Perth and if found unsuitable, what actions would be required to render them suitable.
It will also be required to look at whether or not the current regulatory framework is adequately prepared “to address extant and emerging strategic risks identified by the Bergin Report, or otherwise by this inquiry, including, in relation to junket operations, money laundering, cash and electronic transactions and the risk of infiltration by criminal elements into casino operations.”
The regulatory aspect of the inquiry will include identifying and addressing any actual or perceived conflicts of interest by officers involved in WA’s casino regulation, and suggesting how the regulatory framework might be enhanced to address any areas of concern or weakness.
However, it seems unlikely that WA’s royal commission will be as comprehensive as the NSW inquiry was last year, with the terms of reference stating the Commissioner is “not required to inquire, or to continue to inquire, into a particular matter to the extent that you are satisfied that the matter has been, is being, or will be sufficiently and appropriately dealt with by another inquiry or investigation.”
In particular, it states that the Commissioner may utilise any evidence already contained within the Bergin Report, including public transcripts of evidence, as part of their own investigative work.
A deadline of 30 June 2021 is provided for submission of an interim report and 14 November 2021 for a final report with recommendations.
