Crown Resorts’ board has granted Blackstone a closer look at the under fire James Packer backed casino group to entice rival bidders out of the woodwork after the Crown board rebuffed the US private equity giant’s third attempt to acquire the company for $8.5 billion.

While Crown and its investors may have hopes of a bidding war emerging, it is still unclear if the recommendations from Victoria’s royal commission — like the government appointed manager of Crown Melbourne who has the power to veto board decisions for two years — could derail any buyout deal in the near term.