Westpac branch manager gambled at Crown Resorts’ Perth Casino with stolen money

A Westpac branch manager who stole from the bank to fund his gaming addiction was a Crown Perth high roller, a royal commission has heard.

The Crown complex near Perth. WA’s Casino Royal Commission has been established to inquire into and report on the affairs of Crown Casino Perth. Picture: Tony McDonough

A former bank manager who was jailed after stealing millions of dollars from his employer to fund a gambling addiction was an active high-roller at Crown Resorts’ Perth casino until his arrest, despite numerous employees being aware of his modest job, a royal commission has heard.

Daniel Petkov, who held a management role at Westpac’s Belmont branch in Perth, was jailed for 5½ years in 2019 for stealing nearly $3.7m from his branch between July 2016 and February 2018.

Suffering from bipolar disorder at the time, Mr Petkov gambled away the funds at the electronic gaming machine at Crown’s Melbourne and Perth casinos in gambling stints up to 16 hours in length.

On Tuesday the West Australian Royal Commission into Crown Resorts heard from Crown Perth’s premium gaming director for gaming machines, Richard Smith, that he was tasked with finding out more about Mr Petkov by the casino’s current CEO, Lonnie Bossi, in October 2017.

The commission is examining the suitability of Crown to operate the state’s sole casino.

“We were looking at how, what we would, may be able to do for him as in benefits or rewards,” Mr Smith said.

“We may be seeing it as an opportunity to grow, which would be unlikely,’’ he said.

“We would try to get as much information as we could to understand if this is sustainable gaming, [if] it could be a possible problem.”

Mr Petkov had already been known as a high-roller at Crown Melbourne, and had by that time become one of the most significant customers in Crown Perth’s exclusive Pearl Room.

Documents displayed at the commission showed he pushed more than $2.5 million through gaming machines between July and December 2017, betting on average $67.22 per spin.

A manager in the Pearl Room told Mr Smith she believed Mr Petkov worked as a “bank manager for Bankwest” but Mr Smith said the news didn’t cause him any concern.

“No, that doesn’t necessarily give me concerns,” he said.

“I guess it wants me to ask more questions, or understand a little bit more if I can.”

In December of 2017 a host looking after Mr Petkov informed Mr Smith that his true role was as a bank manager for “Westpac in Belmont”.

Mr Smith told counsel assisting that he thought referred to something other than the bank branch that lies less than 5km from the casino.

“My understanding was it wasn’t actually the Belmont that I’m familiar with here, it was Belmont – bigger picture – bank of Victoria, or something like that,” he said.

“I thought it meant something other than a local Belmont bank manager branch here.”

Mr Petkov continued gambling at Crown until his theft was uncovered by his employer in February 2018.

Later, the commission probed Mr Smith as to whether the Pearl Room was open during WA’s Covid lockdowns last year or earlier this year.

Mr Smith said it was possible and would try and find out.

“I can’t recall exactly, but it’s possible … no, I can’t recall exactly,” he said.