Crown Melbourne (also referred to as Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex) is a

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

and

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

located on the south bank of the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stre ...

, in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Crown Casino is a unit of

Crown Limited Crown Resorts Limited is Australia's largest gaming and entertainment group that owns and operates two of Australia's leading gambling and entertainment complexes, Crown Melbourne and Crown Perth. It was listed on the Australian Securities Exc ...

, and the first casino of the now-international Crown brand. Initially having opened in 1994 on the north bank of the Yarra, Crown Melbourne relocated and re–opened on the south bank of the Yarra, in 1997. It remains one of the central features of the Southbank precinct of the Melbourne

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

. The entire complex has a space of 510,000 m²—the equivalent to two

city block A city block, residential block, urban block, or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by streets, not counting any type of thoroughfare within t ...

s—making it the largest casino complex in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the largest in the world. The complex also hosts three hotels,

Crown Towers Crown Towers is a hotel skyscraper located in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Australia. Built in 1997, the hotel is one of three hotels at the Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex, the others being: Crown Promenade (2003) and Crown Met ...

, Crown Promenade, and Crown Metropol. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week except on

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

Day,

Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...

and

Anzac Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...

when it is closed from 4 a.m. to midday. It was founded, owned and run by Lloyd Williams until the Packer takeover by

Publishing and Broadcasting Limited Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL) was one of Australia's largest corporations. With interests primarily in media and gambling, for the entirety of its existence it was largely controlled by the Packer family. History Predecessors PB ...

in 1999. The casino is accessible by tram routes 12, 58, 96, 109 which all pass near Southern Cross railway station and the Melbourne City Centre.

Opening and statistics

Temporary location

Crown Casino opened on 30 June 1994 at the World Trade Centre on the northern bank of the

. This location was a temporary, and training, setup while construction of the proper complex occurred.

Permanent location

Crown's permanent location opened on 8 May 1997 of the southern bank of the Yarra River. It was designed by a team of architects and interior designers working in collaboration, including :

Bates Smart Bates Smart is an architectural firm with studios in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1853 by Joseph Reed, it is known as one of Australia's oldest architectural firms. Over the decades, the firm's multidisciplinary practices involv ...

Perrott Lyon Mathieson Perrott Lyon Mathieson was an Australian architecture firm based in Melbourne, Australia. Founded by Leslie M Perrott in 1914, the firm was responsible for numerous high-profile projects from the 1920s to the 1990s, and was associated with the Perr ...

and

Daryl Jackson Daryl Sanders Jackson AO (born 7 February 1937) is an Australian architect and the owner of an international architecture firm, Jackson Architecture. Jackson also became the associate professor of the University of Melbourne and Deakin Univers ...

(in association). Principal practitioners included architects Lyndon Hayward, Bob Sinclair, Peter Dredge, and Hamish Lyon, and interior designers Jeff Copolov, Paul Hecker, Jackie Johnston, Kathy Hall, Fiona Ennis, Jan Eastwood, and Kerry Phelan. On opening night, Actress

Rachel Griffiths Rachel Anne Griffiths (born in 1968) is an Australian actress. Raised primarily in Melbourne, she began her acting career appearing on the Australian series ''Secrets'' before being cast in a supporting role in the comedy ''Muriel's Wedding'' ...

infamously ran through the casino topless on its opening night to protest the project. It is one of the central features of the Southbank area in the

and the Crown Towers fronts onto the waterfront as part of Southbank Promenade. Children under the age of 18 are permitted into the entertainment and shopping section of complex, but not into the gaming area or areas serving alcohol. The entire complex has a space of 510,000 m², making it the largest casino complex in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the largest in the world. Crown Casino has a licence for 540 table games (100 poker tables) and 2,500 poker machines.

Casino games

Baccarat

Baccarat Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game played at casinos. It is a comparing card game played between two hands, the "player" and the "banker". Each baccarat coup (round of play) has three possible outcomes: "player" (player has the higher score ...

is the most popular game at Crown and a large portion of Crown's revenue comes from Baccarat. The different variations of Baccarat that Crown offers include: * Traditional Baccarat - in this variation, any banker win pays out 95%. This version is only available in the Mahogany Room and in other exclusive salons and lounges with a minimum bet of $100. *Crown Baccarat - this variation is more commonly known as 'no-commission Baccarat' where the house payout is 50% when the banker wins with a point total '6'. The minimum bet is typically $100, however, there are tables throughout the complex with a $50 minimum bet, namely in the Tia To area. *2 to 1 Baccarat - this variation is a lower limit version of Baccarat and usually has a minimum bet of $25. The rules feature no commission on bets and 2 to 1 payouts when the banker wins with 3 cards on 8 or 9, however, ties lose.

Blackjack

Blackjack Blackjack (formerly Black Jack and Vingt-Un) is a casino banking game. The most widely played casino banking game in the world, it uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as Twenty-One. This fami ...

is a game found throughout Crown Casino and in many casinos around the globe. There are more than 10 different variations of Blackjack at crown and the availability of different versions are on constant rotation. The most common variations include: * Traditional Blackjack - this variation is only found in the Mahogany Room and in other exclusive salons and lounges. The key feature of Traditional Blackjack is that the dealer stands on a 'soft 17'. * Crown Blackjack - this variation of blackjack is the same as Tradition Blackjack with the only difference being that the dealer hits on a 'soft 17'. Crown Blackjack can be found in any area outside the Mahogany Room and usually has a minimum bet of $25–100. * Blackjack Plus - this variation of blackjack has a much higher house edge than Crown Blackjack and as a result, the typical minimum bet is $10–20. The rules feature a stand-off when the dealer achieves a total '22' and in return players are able to double down with three cards in their hand, get an instant payout on 21, 'five-and-under' wins, and the other rules. Blackjack Plus has been described as "the worst game of blackjack in Australia" due to the house advantage of around 5%.

Poker machines

Crown Casino has 2,500 poker machines. on the casino floor, with values ranging from one cent to one dollar, as well as a few two and five-dollar machines in the VIP areas. Slot machines at Crown are made by

Aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

, Ainsworth Gaming Technology (AGT), IGT,

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

and

SHFL entertainment SHFL entertainment, Inc. (previously named Shuffle Master) was a manufacturer of shuffling machines, table games, slot machines, and other casino products, based in Paradise, Nevada. Founded in 1983, it was acquired by Bally Technologies in 2013. ...

/Shuffle Master and

WMS Gaming WMS Gaming is a manufacturer of slot machines, video lottery terminals and software to help casinos manage their gaming operations. It also offers online and mobile games. WMS was originally a subsidiary of WMS Industries, which became a wholly own ...

, the latter using Shuffle Master machines.

Crown poker

The Crown

Poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...

Room encompasses a large separate space in the Crown basement underneath the food court. The games on offer include No Limit Hold 'em, PLO, as well as variations such as Three Card Poker and

Mississippi Stud Mississippi Stud is a casino table game based on poker introduced by Scientific Games. It has been identified by ''The Motley Fool'' as part of a new generation of table games designed to appeal to younger players by offering easier-to-learn str ...

.
Crown also host a number poker tournaments including the

Aussie Millions The Australian Poker Championship, commonly known as Aussie Millions, is a series of poker tournaments held at the Crown Casino, in Melbourne, Australia. The Main Event of the series is the Southern Hemisphere's richest poker tournament with a ...

which is the largest poker tournament in the Southern Hemisphere.

Other games

Crown provides many other games including Big Wheel, Casino War, Pai Gow,

Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

, and Sic Bo. It was also the first to introduce an electronic version of roulette known as Rapid Roulette. The Crown is also one of the major centres for competitive poker in the Asia-Pacific region. It annually hosts the

, currently the Southern Hemisphere's richest poker event. Starting in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, it became home to the World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific, the latest expansion of the

World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker pla ...

Crown rewards program

The crown rewards cards features five different tiers (member, silver, gold, platinum, and black). Everyone starts at the member tier and can upgrade their card when they attain a certain amount of status credits. Membership status is reviewed every six months and cards can be downgraded due to inactivity. Status credits can be earned by accumulating points. Either 500 casino points or 1,500 lifestyle points form one status credit. Casino points are earned when a player inserts their reward card into a poker machine or when they hand their Crown Reward Card to the

croupier A croupier or dealer is someone appointed at a gambling table to assist in the conduct of the game, especially in the distribution of bets and payouts. Croupiers are typically employed by casinos. Origin of the word Originally a "croupier" meant ...

. Typically, on a table with a $50 minimum bet, a player earns 500 casino points per hour. When earning lifestyle points, every dollar spent on hotels, restaurants, bars, retail, or events earns 5 points. Points can also be redeemed without effecting the users ability to earn status credits with 100 points usually equaling a $1 reward.

Member tier

The member tier is the base level, offers very basic rewards and is automatically given to any patron who is eligible to gamble at the casino. The rewards include free multi-level parking when $50 is spent and free internet on the casino floor.

Silver tier

The silver tier is earned when a person attains five status credits with rewards including free multi-level parking when $1 is spent, 10% off the spa and hotels, a welcome gift at hotels, and access to the Riverside Room. The Riverside Room is exclusive to guests with a silver card or higher and is located near the food court entrance of the casino at the west end of the complex. The room has many poker machines and two TAB machines with many TVs with horse racing and sports playing. Access to the room also grants free non-alcoholic drinks which include a variety of soft drinks, coffee and lemon, lime and bitters at the bar.

Gold tier

The gold tier is obtained when a card holder reaches 25 status credits with the rewards including free basement parking, discounted valet parking during off-peak times, 15% off the spa and hotels, and access to the Teak Room. The Teak Room is an exclusive room for guests with a gold card or higher and is located in front of the casino's atrium entrance. The Teak Room has poker machines, many baccarat tables, and a handful of roulette and blackjack tables as well as electronic games. Access to the Teak Room also grants guests free non-alcoholic drinks and a free selected range of alcoholic drinks including beer, wine, and spirits.

Platinum Tier

The platinum tier is earned when a person reached 100 status credits with a variety of rewards being on offer including free nights in a hotel rooms, 20% off the spa and hotels, invitations to special events such as AFL games and the tennis, a dedicated VIP host, and most importantly, access to the Mahogany Room. The Mahogany Room, named after

Kerry Packer Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer (17 December 1937 – 26 December 2005) was an Australian media tycoon, and was considered one of Australia's most powerful media proprietors of the twentieth century. The Packer family company owned a controlling ...

and Lloyd Williams' horse (Mahogany), is an ultra exclusive room frequented by businessmen and women, drug lords, criminals, wealthy individuals, and celebrities. The Mahogany room is located on level 1 of

and has a number of perks attached.

Black tier

The black tier is the most exclusive tier available and it given to usually given to the 'top 200' domestic gamblers. There are an extraordinary amount of benefits available to black card holders including access to private gambling salons at the top floors of

, access to a New Year's Eve event at the Palladium Ballroom where

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

once performed, and box/ front row tickets to major events.

Restaurants, bars, & retail

There are several nightclubs and restaurants as well as "Kingpin" (formerly Galactic Circus), an electronic games arcade,

laser tag Laser tag is a recreational shooting sport where participants use infrared-emitting light guns to tag designated targets. Infrared-sensitive signaling devices are commonly worn by each player to register hits and are sometimes integrated wit ...

game, bowling alley, and many luxury brands.

Restaurants

*Conservatory *Koko *Rockpool Bar and Grill *

Nobu Nobu Hospitality, LLC is an American company founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro, and Meir Teper in partnerships with Drew Nieporent as an Operator with Myriad Restaurant Group. Background In 1987, Nobu Matsuhisa moved to Los Angele ...

Melbourne *The Atlantic *Silks * Bistro Guillaume

Luxury brands

BVLGARI Bulgari (, ; stylized as BVLGARI) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1884 and known for its jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods. While the majority of design, production and marketing is overseen and execu ...

*Monards *Van Bercken *

Graff Diamonds Graff is a British multinational jeweller based in London. It was founded by British jeweller Laurence Graff in 1960. A vertically integrated company, Graff operations comprise the design, manufacture and retail distribution of jewellery and watc ...

*Kennedy *

Prada Prada S.p.A. (, ; ) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1913 in Milan by Mario Prada. It specializes in leather handbags, travel accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, and other fashion accessories. Prada licenses its name and branding t ...

Salvatore Ferragamo Salvatore Ferragamo (5 June 1898 – 7 August 1960) was an Italian shoe designer and the founder of luxury goods high-end retailer Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A. An innovative shoe designer, Salvatore Ferragamo established a reputation in the 1930s. ...

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its produc ...

Paspaley Paspaley, officially the Paspaley Pearling Company, a private company, is Australia's largest and oldest pearling company; that cultivates, farms, harvests, wholesales and retails South Sea pearls for the purposes of luxury jewellery supply a ...

Omega Omega (; capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value of 800. The wo ...

Hugo Boss Hugo Boss AG, often styled as BOSS, is a luxury fashion house headquartered in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company sells clothing, accessories, footwear, and fragrances. Hugo Boss is one of the largest German clothing companies, ...

Hotels

Crown has three hotel towers: *

: a skyscraper comprising a five-star luxury hotel located within the Crown Entertainment Complex. It houses 481 rooms and villas over 38 floors. Located on the banks of the

it overlooks the city centre,

Kings Domain Kings Domain is an area of parklands in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It surrounds Government House Reserve, the home of the governors of Victoria, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, and the Shrine Reserve incorporating the Shrine of Remembrance. T ...

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

and Docklands. * Crown Metropol: reputedly Australia's largest hotel by number of rooms. This five-star hotel houses 658 rooms across 28 floors. * Crown Promenade: a 465-room, 4.5-star hotel on 23 floors. It is located on the block behind Crown Towers and is connected to the main complex by a pedestrian overpass. It also houses Australia's only purpose built hotel conference facility the 'Crown Conference Centre'. A fourth hotel,

One Queensbridge One Queensbridge (or Crown Queensbridge) was a proposed mixed–used supertall skyscraper to be located in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Australia. The skyscraper would have become the tallest building in Melbourne, surpassing the heig ...

, had plans for its construction approved, however, plans unfortunately fell through due to a failure to acquire financing.

Notable guests at Crown's hotels

Notable guests at the Crown Towers, Crown Metropol and Crown Promenade Hotels have included

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Gol ...

Katie Holmes Kate Noelle Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003). Holmes made her feature film debut in 1997 with a supporting role in Ang Lee ...

Kim Kardashian Kimberly Noel Kardashian (formerly West; born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the sex ...

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the gr ...

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). ...

Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records. * * * Woods is widely regarded as ...

and Neil Murray and many other high-profile celebrities and politicians.

Roger Federer Roger Federer (; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at No. 1, world No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 310 weeks, in ...

Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Parera (, ; born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is currently ranked world No. 2 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has been ranked List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis ...

, and several other tennis players often stay at the Casino during the

Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...

Attractions

The Palladium Ballroom

The Palladium at Crown is a

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic man ...

with a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 1500. It has played host to some of Australia's premier functions, including the annual

TV Week Logie Awards The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the " best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by ...

Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...

Player of the Year Medal,

Allan Border Medal Awarded during the Australian Cricket Awards, the Allan Border Medal is considered to be the most prestigious individual prize in Australian men's cricket. First awarded in 2000, the medal is named after former Australian men's captain Allan Bor ...

, the

Australian Formula One Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different ven ...

ball and the Melbourne Press Club Quill award for excellence in journalism.

Water features

Water features appear both inside and outside the Crown Casino complex. They include the Seasons of Fortune, Southern Porte Cochere, Revelry, and Celebration.

Gas brigades fire show

Along the Yarra River, outside crown, there are eight towers, at night these towers shoot spheres of fire, almost 3 meters in diameter, in the air at choreographed intervals. The show occurs every hour with times of operating depending on the season of the year and do not operate in strong winds or when a total fire ban is declared. The Gas Brigades are an iconic part of

and is commonly sought by visiting tourists. While these brigades use a considerable amount of gas to operate, Crown offset the energy emissions created.

Controversies

Thefts

*In 2002, Thomas Mangos, a 39-year-old man from Bundoora, stole $136,000 from crown casino's Mahogany Room using a fake gun. Mangos' armed robbery occurred after he was "seduced" by the casino and lost $1 million gambling. He later turned himself into police, was charged, pleaded guilty, and was subsequently sentenced to a 5 years term of imprisonment with a 3-year

non-parole period Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

. *In 2013, a man with access to the video feeds from Crown's security cameras via an accomplice cheated the casino out of $33 million.

Criminal activities

*In 2016, eighteen employees of Crown Casino were detained by Chinese police after having been accused of resorting to gambling crimes. *In June 2022, the VGCCC stated Crown Melbourne aided in the processing of AU $164 million in transactions and earned AU $32 million in income from illicit payments. The illicit payments came from Chinese gamblers and the company aided in unlawfully transferring the money out of the country. Due to this the company had been fined AU $80 million. *In November 2022, Crown Melbourne was sanctioned with AU $120m in fines for breaches of responsible gambling legislation which had occurred for over a decade. Some of the breaches Crown was fined for included allowing its patrons to gamble for periods of over 24 hours without taking a break and the failure to stop patrons from using plastic picks to engage in auto-play on Poker Machines. The chair of the VGCCC, Fran Thorn, said that "for a long time, Crown had promoted itself as having the world’s best approach to problem gambling. Nothing could be further from the truth" and that the casino operator "prioritised revenue maximisation over its obligations to protect patrons."

The Finkelstein Royal Commission

* The Royal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence heavily criticised crown for a variety of illegal and unethical activities. The commission's findings of Crown include money laundering, strong ties to organised criminal networks, and found other serious problems with Crown's corporate governance among other things. Essentially, the Royal Commission made the recommendation that Crown be put under a two-year review period where they are able to keep their license to operate, but have to make major changes in order to facilitate a legal casino operation and responsible gambling. This includes the appointment of an inspector to monitor and ascertain whether money laundering, loan sharking, or illicit drug sales were taking place and exclude people when necessary. * The Victorian State Government accepted the recommendations made by the commission and has introduced the ''CASINO AND GAMBLING LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL 2021'' which appoints a Special Manager to oversee all operations and decision making of Crown, establishes a new regulator known as the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) which has new powers and imposes more obligations on Crown, and bans Junket operations among other things.

Other

*In September 2015, Rochelle Nolan the fiancée and de facto wife of entertainer/comedian

Russell Gilbert Russell Gilbert (born 17 October 1959) is an Australian comedian and actor from Footscray, Victoria, best known for his radio and television appearances, on programs such as ''The Comedy Company'', ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' and ''Thank God You're ...

, took her own life after a battle with depression and was found deceased in one of the rooms of the hotel.

References

External links

*
CrownLimited.comRoyal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crown Melbourne Casinos completed in 1997 Landmarks in Melbourne Casinos in Australia Hotels in Melbourne Tourist attractions in Melbourne 1994 establishments in Australia Retail buildings in Victoria (Australia) Buildings and structures in the City of Melbourne (LGA) Southbank, Victoria