Call for royal commission into SkyCity Adelaide amid AUSTRAC investigation
abc, 07 June 2021
Two South Australian MPs have called for a royal commission into the operations of the Adelaide casino similar to those underway into Crown in Victoria and Western Australia.
SkyCity revealed this morning it was being investigated by financial crime watchdog AUSTRAC over serious non-compliance relating to money-laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws in its Adelaide operations. It runs the Adelaide casino as well as three others in New Zealand.
In a statement issued to the ASX, SkyCity said AUSTRAC had identified concerns about SkyCity Adelaide’s management of high-risk customers and “politically exposed” people.
It said AUSTRAC’s concerns related to “ongoing customer due diligence” and adopting, maintaining and complying with an anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing program.
The statement said AUSTRAC began compliance assessment in 2019, looking into the business’s operations in the 2015–16 and 2018–19 financial years.
SA Best MLC Connie Bonaros said the revelations were strong enough for a royal commission to be set up by the South Australian government.
