The recent report from the Victorian casino regulator, which played a crucial role in the decision to extend Crown Melbourne’s license, revealed various red flags and warnings regarding the casino's operations moving forward. With a special manager, internal corruption investigator Stephen O'Bryan KC, embedded within Crown Melbourne for two years, the report shed light on critical issues such as governance lapses and areas needing attention. While the final of the four six-monthly reports released by the special manager ran into hundreds of pages, key points from the report like governance responsiveness and transparency gaps were instrumental in the regulator’s decision-making process.
Highlighted in the report were concerns about governance structures within Crown Melbourne, with comments about executives being responsive to oversight from the board but occasional lapses in transparency and accountability in outcomes. Furthermore, the report pointed to ongoing challenges at lower levels of management, noting that improvements are still a work in progress. Employee perceptions of leadership at middle management levels also surfaced in the report, indicating inconsistencies in desired behavior modeling and potential gaps in managerial practices that need attention.
One particular area of contention mentioned in the report was the allegation involving CEO Ciaran Carruthers, who was accused of intervening to allow blocked patrons to gamble despite security restrictions. While this issue wasn’t thoroughly investigated by the special manager, an internal examination subsequently cleared the CEO of any wrongdoing. Additionally, the report highlighted ongoing challenges in cultural reform at Crown, noting that while foundational steps have been taken, significant cultural hurdles remain, such as barriers to speaking up and doubts about the authenticity of change within the organization.
Furthermore, the report raised concerns about the focus of Crown Melbourne's efforts, suggesting a heavier emphasis on money laundering prevention rather than harm minimization strategies, indicating a potential imbalance in priorities. Despite acknowledging the progress made and the critical foundational elements in place for transformation, the report indicated that Crown still faces a substantial journey ahead, with a key challenge being to sustain momentum and management commitment for driving organizational change. The report reinforced the importance of maintaining vigilance in addressing these issues, as a casino license inherently carries the potential for significant harm to individuals and the broader community, a responsibility that cannot be disregarded.