Crown Casino Given Two Years To Fix Disgraceful Melbourne Branch
Australian Regulators have warned Crown over the state of their Melbourne branch and insist they reorganize the structure of operations and finance departments. Over the last decade, the brand has faced major difficulties with the loss of shareholders due to a number of incidents relating to employee mismanagement and even criminal connections. While the company seems to be turning a page with other recent developments, the Melbourne casino is yet to receive any attention from the head office and regulators are worried it may be unsafe for consumers.
Crown Resorts have been warned by national regulators over the state of the Melbourne branch, having fallen into disrepair, the infrastructure is in dire need of maintenance. Crown are no stranger to litigation and have fought several cases against the Australian gambling commission over the last decade. ©Bru-nO/Pixabay
After an inspection from the Australian Gambling Commission, officials labeled the conditions as appalling, pointing out several cases of mismanagement in the front of house and the back end of the facility. Overall cleanliness was a major issue as many of the sanitary facilities were yet to be washed, causing a foul mood among the inspectors. The bar and restaurant areas were scrutinized heavily in the ensuing report, pointing out several non-functioning pumps as well as a dirty cellar with many old barrels yet to be removed.
Crown ensures their customers that all of the resort grounds are top-notch and kept to the highest standards, but in the case of Melbourne, their efforts to maintain these targets has declined drastically. They have an unusually high staff turnover causing suspicions of mismanagement or even employer violations of legal measures. Government officials are currently asking current and former employees of the Melbourne branch about their treatment while working there to better understand stakeholder conditions.
Following the major amount of misdemeanors and incidents while on casino grounds, the inspectors on behalf of the national regulators declared the site unfit for business, and the Melbourne branch of Crown resorts has temporarily lost its gambling license. However, despite these restrictions, one area of the casino will be allowed to continue as it is far more modern than the rest of the facilities, meaning they will be able to maintain a lower level of revenue and keep the branch flowing.
Crown Resorts have spent a lot of time and money improving their main casino branch in Sydney, which is now of the most popular casinos in Oceania. While they did this, they ultimately forgot about the people of Melbourne who are dealing with the same issues Sydney consumers had at the start of the year. A government licensed commission called their actions disgraceful and maintained the negative approach towards former CEO James Packer. He currently owns 37% of the company, but other board members are desperate for him to sell.
Crown Resorts Long and Controversial History
Crown has three major casino branches in Australia; Sydney is their biggest asset, Melbourne, which is currently in disarray, and Perth, which has witnessed its own fair share of problems over the last year. The Perth branch had many issues with loan sharks and other financial brokers who were actually gangsters. Individuals stalked the grounds and threatened customers who owed them money after losing it all in the casino, creating a toxic and dangerous atmosphere around the resort. The police have resolved the situation, but it was a very big deal at the time.
The Australian casino brand has also faced several allegations of money laundering and other criminal activities. While they were not charged on every count, the former chairman Helen Coonan admitted to actively participating in corruption and fraudulent money-making methods, leading to a full-on investigation by ASIO, the Australian equivalent of the FBI. Coonan was eventually fired for her actions. In her defense, she attested many of the crimes to former CEO and current major shareholder James Packer who has deeply lodged in Crown’s misfortunes over the years.
It seems like when things start to go right for Crown, something else comes crashing down and the progress made is reversed. Their brand has taken massive damage due to consistent media exposure and social media boycotting. The carnage resulting from Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney branches hasn’t helped their recovery. Crown has had five CEO’s in the past two years, and it says a lot about the current direction of the business. It has become an organization plagued with mistrust and accusations of criminal connections, meaning most of its loyal consumer base is already gone.
