WA appoints independent monitor for Perth casino

An independent monitor has been appointed to oversee the operation of the Perth casino as the Crown Group works to establish its suitability to hold a casino licence.

The appointment follows the royal commission into the casino’s operations which recommended a two-year remediation plan.

The Crown resort and casino complex in Perth, WA.Credit: David Dare Parker/Bloomberg

Racing and Gaming Minister Tony Buti said current police Assistant Commissioner Paul Steel would take on the role from November.

He said Steel would bring decades of experience in organised crime investigation, organisational transformation, delivery of cross-government strategic outcomes and senior leadership to the new role.

Legislation to establish the position and to allow for the supervision of the casino’s operations recently passed the WA parliament.

“This is the latest step in the WA government’s response to the royal commission and represents a new era of integrity, accountability and transparency at Perth’s casino,” Buti said.

“The purpose of the recent legislation and independent monitor is to restore integrity to the casino operator in Perth to ensure that it is operating in a first-class manner.

“That is what we require as a government and that is what the community expects.”

Buti said the costs associated with appointing the monitor would be recovered from Crown.

The royal commission this year found Crown Resorts was unsuitable to run the Perth casino but gave the operator two years to clean up its act.

It found Crown and its subsidiaries facilitated money laundering at the casino, failed to implement systems to detect suspicious transactions and permitted junkets with criminal links to operate at the Burswood complex.

AAP