Today
Chris Minns blows up Crown pokie dream at Sydney casino
The NSW premier has ruled out lifting a restriction on pokies at Sydney’s second casino after a scathing report on failed harm minimisation.
May
Court hears of ex-Star chief’s ‘glee’ at rival’s crime gang crisis
The casino’s former CEO allegedly described Crown Resorts’ money laundering issues as “gold” three years before he resigned over a similar scandal.
Blackstone’s Crown nears final regulatory hurdle in WA
The West Australian government said an independent monitor put in place after damning money laundering findings had concluded its work at the casino.
Blackstone had big plans for Crown Towers. They haven’t materialised
Blackstone spent $8.9bn on Crown Resorts in 2022 and promised investment. Crown Towers is now in desperate need of a glow-up – and it’s starting to become a problem.
April
Packer takes $39m haircut on LA mansion sale
Rich Lister James Packer has sold his Beverly Hill mansion for $US60 million ($93.57 million) after snapping up another California estate.
March
Melbourne’s Southbank to get $1.5b high-rise with nearly 500 apartments
Developer PDG has moved swiftly to formulate plans after picking up a prized site on Melbourne’s Southbank from US giant Blackstone, the owner of Crown Resorts.
Star’s top lawyer concedes casino should have cut junket operator
Star’s former top lawyer was extensively questioned over the troubled casino operator’s relationship with an Asian gambling junket operator.
What it costs to get a company’s name on an F1 driver’s helmet
What are candlestick chart trading patterns doing on the headgear of F1 driver Lance Stroll? It’s just part of the big money sponsors are rushing to spend.
February
James Packer’s casino charity deals in the elite
Attendees at the lunch included Albo, Dutton, Sarah Murdoch and Scott Farquhar, as Sydney’s movers and shakers celebrated some good old corporate philanthropy.
January
Crown sells London’s high-end Aspinall’s to Las Vegas giant Wynn
The Blackstone-owned casino operator has been overhauling its portfolio, last year selling its stake in Japanese restaurant chain Nobu in a $180 million deal.
December 2024
The Year of Brilliant Jerks: Rear Window’s year in review
Trump, Ellison, White, Adgemis, Gupta and that Rinehart portrait. For Rear Window, the end of shame and pretense added up to a ripping year of stories.
Crown Resorts wants to add pokies to the mix at its Sydney casino
The Blackstone-owned hospitality and gambling giant has been prohibited from installing gaming machines under terms struck when it secured its NSW licence.
November 2024
$100 pokie limits in Victorian crackdown
Player cards will be introduced across all gaming machines in the state, bringing pubs and clubs in line with restrictions at Melbourne’s Crown casino.
Blackstone builds Crown Resorts debt bomb as casino profits slide
The private equity giant says it’s comfortable with the big loan it took to buy the casino operator, despite the interest bill and an earnings crunch.
October 2024
Why Tabcorp’s Gill McLachlan has banned pollies from the Birdcage
Politicians and journalists have been given short shrift, while Anthony Albanese and others will probably skip G.H. Mumm’s private jet theme.
Crown sells abandoned Southbank precinct, private jet
Blackstone’s casino giant Crown Resorts has narrowed its losses and is shedding some of its biggest assets to offset financial challenges.
All this drama at Star for a slap on the wrist and $15m fine?
The casino group gets one more chance in Sydney, but is far from being out of the woods. It could go broke if it doesn’t secure a big new backer by this time next year.
Blackstone quietly injects almost $500m into ailing Crown Resorts
The financing came a year after the firm acquired the casino operator for $8.9 billion. Its operations have been hurt by fines and a lack of high rollers.
Blackstone’s Crown knocked back in NSW pokies request
Sources said the proposal involved buying poker machines that would have otherwise been purchased by the NSW government under a five-year buyback scheme.
September 2024
Blackstone’s Crown Resorts mulls sale of luxury Melbourne golf course
The 18-hole Capital is one of the country’s most private and catered exclusively for the casino group’s high rollers. Now wealthy businessmen want to revive it.