Australia
CASINO EMPLOYEE SACKED FOR BORROWING CASH FOR GAMBLING
A gaming manager at The Star was sacked and banned from the casino for borrowing cash from her employees to fund her gambling habit.
The Casino Special Employee, Minh Nguyen, used her position as an assistant gaming manager to borrow thousands from her staff, some of which was not paid back.
Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority Chairman Phillip Crawford said it was a matter of integrity when an employee abuses a position where reputation and character is essential.
“The Authority revoked Ms Nguyen’s licence to prevent her and others from further gambling-related harms,” Mr Crawford said.
“The repeated nature of the contraventions indicates a lack of honesty and considerable lack of diligence or ability with respect to regulatory compliance.”
In 2020 and 2021 Ms Nguyen borrowed more than $7000 from staff under her management.
In one scenario she cut an employee’s shift short and offered to give him a lift home. During the ride home Ms Nguyen began speaking about her family issues and asked to borrow $1000. She stopped her car at an ATM so the employee could extract the cash. After several months and multiple attempts to get the money back, Ms Nguyen finally agreed to meet at a petrol station to repay the loan.
In another example, Ms Nguyen requested $3000 from an employee and said it would be returned in two months. The employee loaned her $2000 but only $1000 was repaid five months later. Repeated attempts to contact Ms Nguyen were met with unanswered calls and disconnected phone numbers.
Employees were reported as saying they did not want to say no to their manager and were also scared to talk about it with her or others.
Ms Nguyen stated she did not feel she used her power as a manager to influence staff members to loan her money.
Casino special employees are licensed to undertake certain positions within a casino, involving supervision of gaming tables, equipment, security, and the ability to hold management positions.
The licence requires a high level of integrity, honest conduct, and adherence to the Casino Control Act.
“This decision will help protect the industry, the community and Ms Ngyuen herself, by mitigating the risks of any future incident because of her personal gambling addiction, Mr Crawford said.”
The International Association of Gaming Regulators has released the program for its
annual conference, taking place in Melbourne, Australia from 17 to 20 October.
The program is available on IAGR’s website, with early–bird ticket prices on offer until 15
August.
IAGR Vice President and UK Gambling Commission Director, Ben Haden, believes the
line–up is one of the strongest yet, reflecting a time of disruption through a lens of
innovation.
“Over four days, our speakers and attendees will delve into global regulatory challenges,
safer gambling initiatives, security updates and technology advances impacting the
industry,” explains Ben.
“With sessions including ‘Why the Women’s World Cup 2023 will be the biggest betting
event ever’, ‘An introduction to gambling in the Metaverse’, ‘Regulating emerging
technology’, ‘Gambling–like reward mechanisms in video games’ and ‘How regulators can
use lived experience to prevent gambling harm’, it’s clear we have a richly diverse,
fascinating and relevant line–up.”
This year’s speakers include:
• Michael Morton, Senior Policy Counsel, Nevada Gaming Control Board
• Fran Thorn, Chair, Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission
• Earle Hall, VC, International Gaming Standards Association & CEO @ AXES.ai
• Andrew Rhodes, CEO, Gambling Commission United Kingdom
• Professor Sally Gainsbury, Director, Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic,
Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney
• Stephen Bryan, QC, Special Manager for the Melbourne Casino Operator
• Paul Buck, CEO, Epic Risk Management
More sessions and panellists are expected to be confirmed over the coming weeks.
Dr Jason Lane, IAGR President and Chief Executive of the Jersey Gambling
Commission, says he’s particularly looking forward to being able to greet regulators from
across the globe in person.
“Many gambling regulators, including me, couldn’t travel to last year’s conference in
Boston,” says Jason. “IAGR2022 will be an amazing opportunity to reunite, connect and
build relationships with regulators, industry stakeholders and thought leaders in person
in beautiful Melbourne.”
IAGR2022 is hosted by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission.
The NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority has given Crown Sydney casino conditional approval to open its gaming operations
The Authority’s Chairperson, Philip Crawford, said Crown will be allowed to conditionally begin casino operations, giving the Authority the chance to monitor the final phase of its restricted gaming licence suitability assessment, after the 2021 Bergin Inquiry found Crown unsuitable to hold the licence.
“Under the Authority’s supervision, Crown has rebuilt its gaming model from the ground up, which has meant deep structural change around governance, anti-money laundering measures and corporate culture,” Mr Crawford said.
“After more than one year’s work with Crown, the Authority is pleased to have reached a stage where Crown can open its casino operations on a conditional basis.
“Given the need to observe the changes in operation as well as ensure changes are embedded in the business, the Authority will consider approval of Crown’s suitability until the end of the conditional gaming period, which could run between 18 months and two years.
“The new systems and internal control measures have been set up and will be in place from day one.”
Mr Crawford said the Bergin Inquiry highlighted the scale and scope of issues to be remediated by Crown, with potentially billions of dollars having been laundered through its casinos.
“Crown has been required to implement a raft of stringent controls to prevent money laundering and criminal infiltration in its NSW business model. What was happening in Crown’s interstate operations will not be repeated in NSW,” Mr Crawford said.
“With a complete clean-out of the board and senior executive, Crown has made significant progress and has agreed to ongoing work to regain its casino licence.”
The Authority has also approved Blackstone’s suitability to hold a casino licence in NSW. Having gained the other necessary approvals from Victorian and West Australian regulators and the Federal Court, Blackstone takes over as the new owner of Crown on Friday 24 June.
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