Crown is facing a $100 million penalty over its controversial China UnionPay scheme, after the Victorian gambling watchdog used its revamped regulatory powers to hit the gambling giant with the first of several anticipated disciplinary actions over misconduct unearthed by the Victorian royal commission into the company.

The royal commission last year revealed that Crown allowed high rollers to shift more than $160 million over four years out of China by linking payments from Chinese credit cards to Crown’s Southbank hotel reception, evading anti-money laundering rules and China’s currency controls.