Townsville Ville Casino breaks silence over alleged high roller operation
The Ville Casino has released a statement after it was accused of bringing high-paying gamblers to Townsville to profit off casino crackdowns in other states.
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The Ville Casino has broken its silence over allegations it brought high-paying gamblers from NSW and Victoria to Townsville to profit off casino crackdowns in other states.
Accusations the resort was involved in an unlawful plan were made by Fairfax and Nine media on Saturday and Sunday.
The Ville asserted there were several ‘factual inaccuracies’ in the reports alleging impropriety. The media organisations alleged there was a plan to use an underground high-roller junket to bring wealthy gamblers from Sydney and Melbourne while circumventing state regulations.
The report accused The Ville of paying a Melbourne resteranteur tens of thousands of dollars in gambling credit, which was then converted to cash in Townsville.
Under current rules and regulations, high-roller agents cannot operate without approval from the state government, in an effort to prevent laundering operations and other illegal behaviour.
In a statement the Ville said it could not comment in detail.
“In response to recent reporting in Fairfax and Nine media, The Ville is unable to comment while matters are in the hands of the regulator,” the statement read.
“That said, there are a number of factual inaccuracies in the media reports.
“The Ville operates lawfully and takes its obligations seriously and will continue to work with the regulator to ensure it operates within legislated guidelines.”
The Melbourne restaurateur also denied any wrongdoing, according to the reports.
He said the only people brought to The Ville were “friends” and he was only ever paid as part of a “promotion”.
There has been no suggestion The Ville owner Chris Morris, who bought the business in 2014, was at any point aware of any wrongdoing.
The allegations come after an inquiry into Queensland’s The Star casino revealed a highrolling gambler banned from their Sydney enterprise was given luxury perks over the course of a decade in an effort that failed the company’s own exclusion policy.
The inquest is due to hand down its report on September 30.
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Originally published as Townsville Ville Casino breaks silence over alleged high roller operation
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