Crown Casino’s power concerned these gambling inspectors. Now they’re speaking out

An unknown story of five casino inspectors who were kicked out and kept silence while knowing the dirty secrets of the royal family.

Peter, Macca, Makomak's wallet contains an old gambling inspector's badge. The attached photo ID is stamped with light blue letters: "Retired".

However, old habits do not disappear easily.

Makomak passed through a concrete road that leads to a casino in Melbourne and overlooked the dirty cityscape with the casino, with the sound of a car overhead.

"As an inspector, we believed that our role was to prevent the casino from committing a crime," he said.

Former VCGLR Inspector Peter Makomac (Four Corner)

His eyes are watching while verifying the scenes that are unfolding in front of them. A group of cleaning staff is packed from a noticeable n o-mark car, and it is witnessed that a child traveling alone meets his mother, and a crown regular customer passes in front of the mirror.

This is the point he visits for 30 years as a senior inspector and team leader of the independent guardian of Victoria before he starts shifting at a casino.

"When I walked on the game floor, I always wore social uniforms.

"Both the dealers and the boss knew us."

The inspector is to work for regulatory authorities and supervise the casino. One of their most important roles is to reduce the impact and invasion of crimes.

Peter's observation eyes helped to observe criminal acts, but the management said that it was not their responsibility to act on it.

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"In the gambling field, I often saw shark loans.

"They told us. It's not our matters, it's a police issue." "

"The drug trading was carried out in front of me, and a small plastic garbage bag was exchanged.

"But I was told again. No, it's a police issue, not our matters."

"In the chain of criminal acts, many of our reports have disappeared beyond the oblivion.

For many years, the inspectors have become unable to enter a part of the casino, and in the hig h-roller room, the crown staff stuck with shadows, and they felt that their existence was not welcomed.

"I felt that the crown was running our office. It was as if Crown was running our office.

"We complained that the crown was doing on the game floor, so the manager sometimes told me to work."

Peter is one of the five former inspectors.

One of the most important functions of regulators is to reduce criminal influence and invasion. (Four corner)

He said he was afraid that if he told the media, he would be fined or fired.

"I'm not worried because I won't lose my job anymore. Peter says.

As Crown Casino is wrapped in a huge amount of money laundering and a scandal that clarifies the pursuit of commercial relationships with an organizational criminal on parade, the dirty secrets have been forced to protect themselves. I witnessed it.

They say in four corners that their roles in the casino had always been impaired, as the gatekeeper they worked for the royal family wanted over and over again.

Tick and flick

One of Peter's team inspectors was the former Victorian police Danny Lacasus.

Danny has been investigating the date, time, game table numbers, dealers and regular customers for 12 months.

He summarized what he discovered and told the chain, but nothing happened.

Former casino inspector Danny Lakasus (Four Corners)

"Some of Intel came, got all the information, said, thank you. Thank you. I heard it last.

After a while, the frustration accumulates and starts to think, "Why are you turning your back to this project even if you don't go anywhere, nothing happens?"

Danny and Peter were hired by the Gamble Alcohol Regulatory Commission (VCGLR).

VCGLR was established in 2012 to integrate gaming authorities and alcoholic regulation authorities in 2012 to improve efficiency.

According to an inspector on the site, it has caused confusion. Budget and staff have been reduced by 30 %.

Experienced gambling inspectors are usually called from gambling sites and check alcohol licenses at cafes, bars and restaurants.

"It is clear that it was hijacked by alcohol, and it seems that there was an instruction from the upper management to concentrate on alcoholic acts," said Rod Walker in Victoria. 。

The rod says that alcohol testing has become an "flashing event just to achieve KPI."

Rod Walker witnessed how the merger excluded the inspector from the game site (Four Corners / Detachment)

Inspeagers' reactions to the new policy were intuitive.

"I think anyone who created the word KPI should be a gun killing," says Peter.

"The morale has fallen considerably. They were not interested in conducting appropriate investigations, just fin e-tuning and moving.

"What I wanted to do was investigating the right crime."

According to Peter, the casino had many shifts with no inspectors.

"There is still such a thing.

"There is a law that the casino inspectors must always be placed."

As the regulatory authorities were in such confusion, James Packer strengthened the crown's aggressive advancement in the China High Roller market.

The VIP gambler was brought to Melbourne by a thir d-party agent called a junket operator.

For Danny, casinos are more susceptible to organizational crime.

"What has changed with the appearance of a junket is that many Chinese have come, have their own rooms, and basically play millions of dollars," says Danny.

Danny was concerned about the possibility that the junket could commit a crime.

"We saw a lot of money moving.

"I don't know where the funds came, how they were recorded, and how the state had been reduced.

Opening the door to money laundering

There was an ace in the crown.

A few years ago, in 2004, the state government gave casinos the authority to approve a junket operator.

Peter Cohen, a former regulatory author, told Four Corners that his idea was to give the Crown to the Crown.

"In that time, the royal family had more resources than the resources needed to perform the deudeligation check. They were able to hire private investigators," says Cohen. Ta.

The regulatory authority was to monitor the process of the crown whether the crown was properly evaluating the junket operator.

"Ronald Reagan would say: As Ronald Reagan says," I trust, but let's verify, "" says Cohen.

Barry McGan, a gambling inspector from 2007 to 2018, said this was an important moment to open the door to money laundering.

"It was a mistake in my opinion that the committee abandoned its authority and the crown was able to approve its business," says Barry.

Inspectors are allowed to check the VIP crown players that have been airloaded by junket companies and Melbourne, but regulators have to rely on casinos that provide accurate and broad information for their identity surveys. Not.

"I order the report. Even if there is a player who does not want the crown to show me, I can't stop it or delete it from a database. I have no way to know." Say.

Barry McGan is currently retired from a gambling inspector and lives in the Victoria. (Four corner)

Barry says, "It is difficult to associate (players) with illegal games and triads because they have no access to independent information.

There were almost no junkets and checks.

The audit has been stopped for almost a year, until the latter half of 2013, in Four Corners's projects that Crown Melbourne was trading with a junko operator connected to crime syndicate.

According to Danny Lakasus, after the news was reported, he received a hurry from the management that he wanted to show the latest junket audits.

He said, "Why? They said," Why? " He replied, "I was told that I wouldn't audit because I was audited."

The crown not only approved these junket operators, but some were connected to organizational crimes, but regulators enter a private casino room and manage those who have been gambling hundreds of millions of dollars. I rarely did that.

The one 'banned' high roller

Terry McCave knows more than anyone who can strongly promote compliance.

Before becoming a gaming inspector in 2004, he was a senior detective of the Victorian Police Arson Investigation Team.

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"In order for regulators to be completely effective, there is a tendency to be caught or exposed. [When I was there, there was such a risk. I don't think, "says Terry.

Terry believes that the royal family has paid more than $ 200 million taxes to the Victorian government a year, affecting the operation of regulatory authorities based in the state.

"Governments around the world are gambling poisoning, just like many regular customers, and it is very difficult to regulate casinos."

Terry pointed out that the inspectors, who feel that the crown cannot be properly accountable, are growing.

"The members worked hard. Many members participated in the first casino inspection and did many wonderful jobs."

"Disappointment is disappointed, disappointment is not indifferent, disappointing. It began again."

One of the most powerful powers that regulatory authorities can freely use without the cancellation of casino licenses are the ability to resolve casinos with junket players and operators.

VCGLR uses this authority only once, despite the many connections between junket companies and organizational crime syndicate.

An example of the regulatory authority exercised the authority was for the hig h-ranking Richard Young, who had been convicted of an illegal bookmaking under the FBI's decides in Las Vegas in 2014 at Caesters Palace in Las Vegas.

However, Four Corners revealed that after the regulators ordered the crown twice in writing to suspend the transaction with Yong, the casino has resisted and continued trading with Yong. I did.

Super wealthy high rollers, Richard Young (left) and Paul Hua (right).

Regulatory authorities were also concerned about the crown VIP customer, one of Yeon's aides, and was concerned about the famous poker player in Malaysia and an underlined bookmaker, Paul Hua. He is also said to be a hig h-level member of the 14K triad.

The regulatory authorities have withdrawn Poor pursuing, saying that the crown ordered to suspend the transaction with him.

In 2016, Four Corners revealed that Victoria police had a serious concern about the suspicion of connecting with Poor Triad and the status of Crown's VIP.

Terry McCave is not familiar with any incident, but the casino has a reputation for pushing VCGLR.

"I think the crown has a very powerful legal department and was very active in responding to regulatory authorities."

"I don't think we had such a powerful backing in all cases."

A big blue bag of cash

In 2019, dissatisfaction within the regulatory authorities reached the peak.

Two accusations of the Independent Federation, Andrew Wilky Office, with evidence that the money laundering in Crown Melbourne was suspected.

Anonymous inspectors provided images of a young man with a cooler bag with cash in a room operated by the Sun City Junket operating company exclusively.

A cooler bag with cash has been exchanged for a chip in a video leaked by Federal member Andrew Wilky.

"The chips were redesigned soon. It's a very easy, quick and efficient way to clean millions of dollars," says Wilky.

"I tried to send this video to the regulatory authorities, but it didn't work.

The regulatory authorities have identified the man in the video as the representative of the junket and Crown Melbourne Premium Player, Chenkan Pan.

The surveillance committee wanted to ban and leave, but the casino did not admit that he was blurred in the leaked video.

The Crown had a copy of the identification of bread and had access to the date he was in Sun City's room, but was still not enough.

Andrew Wilky does not agree to the crown that does not accept the words of regulators.

"Crown Casino treats us like a mug. They know the big name in the casino. It's part of their business model."

Victorian regulators' inspectors, a casino surveillance, not only thought of investigating money laundering, but also actively hindered.

"Danny says," We talked to the manager about it, and the manager told the upper layer many times, but it didn't make sense.

'Bad things happen when good people do nothing'

Currently, three states are investigating the crown scandal. Investigations are conducted in New Southwales, and Victoria and Washington have a Royal Commission currently ongoing.

However, Victoria's Royal Committee's duties did not include an order to investigate the reveals of regulatory authorities in the state.

"I think gaming should be a matter of the federal government in order to keep the whole country as a whole, and should be regulated by the federal government," says Terry.

Both the royal family and the regulatory authorities have refused to cover the Four Corners. VCGLR spokeswoman said it would be inappropriate to comment while the royal committee was in the royal family.

VCGLR's CEO, CEO, had previously argued that criminal acts in casinos were responsible for other institutions, such as the federal financial crime monitoring agency.

Austrac has confirmed that it is investigating the crown for violating the Money Laundering and the Terrorism Prevention Act.

All five inspectors spoke in danger to see the resurrection of regulatory authorities with sufficient permissions, expertise, and independence.

Danny wants to speak openly to change the system. (Four corner)

"The fact that so many former athletes speak out indicates what they are concerned about and that their systems are broken.

Terry hope that this risk will be rewarded.

"I think something bad will happen when good people do nothing.

"I need a scrutiny

Credits

• Article: Steve Kanane, Kyle Taylor
• Investigator: Lucy Carter, Naomi Servalatonam
• Photography: Louie Eroglu ACS
• Digital producer, designer: Nick Wiggins
• Drone Video: Sam Hanan
• Other photos: UNSPLASH, pixabay

: July 5, 2021, 2021 (Mon) July 5, 2021, 2021, 18:44 Updated, July 6, 2021 (Tuesday) 9:11 (Tuesday) 9:11, and wish I hope our voice will be reflected and something will be done, "Danny says.