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Disgraced casino operator Crown did a lot of bad — uncovered by the media and confirmed at the searing Bergin inquiry in NSW, a Royal Commission in Victoria and another inquiry in WA.

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The royal commission’s report installed a Special Monitor in the Victorian operation, a kind of ‘police officer in the room’.

At all times.

The Special Manager (Stephen O’Bryan KC) sits on board meetings, attends staff ‘town halls’, has office space with management and watches everything as Crown tries to dig itself out of the pit it dug for itself.

It’s like getting a report card — if the teacher just watched everything you do, all the time. Just you.

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Hold on, why?

If you need reminding, Crown found to have facilitated money laundering and partnered with operators that had links to organised crime. There’s way more.

The Special Manager’s third six-month activity report is out now, covering 1 January to 30 June 2023.

Their interim and final reports in  January 2024 will inform the state regulator about whether it can stay open in Melbourne.

Or, in legal English:

“…informing the VGCCC’s important decision as to whether Crown has returned to suitability to hold the Melbourne casino operator licence”

And what does it say?

Old habits die hard — Crown isn’t being fully open with the Special Manager.

“As in previous reporting periods, Crown has been generally responsive to the Special Manager’s Information Requests,” the report found.

“However, on occasion, and in relatively narrow circumstances, Crown has sought to limit the information provided to the OSM, such as that involving Commonwealth legislative secrecy requirements. The Special Manager has been satisfied this has not impeded the OSM’s work, and that there have been no major delays in receiving information from Crown.”

(The ‘OSM’ is the Office of the Special Manager for the Melbourne Casino Operator)

Attending meetings

It’s not just board meetings that the Special Monitor (and staff) go to.  They’re attending “Crown internal forums, including leadership briefings, employee town hall briefings and team musters” and in January sent all Crown employees a mass email telling them about the December 2022 activity report and letting them know about confidential ways to talk to the monitor’s office.

In a statement, Stephen O’Bryan KC “The OSM’s assessment of Crown’s work on strengthening its integrity framework will continue, including to evaluate whether Crown establishes sound governance and resourcing to effectively drive anti-bribery and corruption prevention work across the organisation”.

“An area that needs considerable improvement is Crown’s approach to handling complaints to ensure any concerns raised by customers and other members of the public are properly recorded, considered, and responded to. An audit by Crown to identify how its public complaints handling policies, systems and practices can be improved will be independently monitored and assessed by the OSM,”.

The Special Manager is restricted from making detailed public comment on how Crown is progressing on its reforms and efforts to return to suitability so we’ll have to wait until the regulator gives a yay/nay to Crown keeping it’s Melbourne licence, early next year.