A new 12.2 billion signature building at Barangaroo carries the " Crown " casino logo, but its license to welcome the gambling public of the world is being refused. A public enquiry has found that James Packer, a multi billionaire who heads the consortium which runs casino's in Melbourne and this new one in Sydney, is unfit to hold such a license.
The proposed opening date for the Sydney casino is fading in the rear view mirror but the hotels, cafes and shops in this towering national edifice are up and running. It seems inevitable that we will eventually see a casino as part of this structure, the only question concerns who the government will accept in the controlling role.
James Packer has already stepped aside and members of the Crown board are also falling on their swords and this clean out seems destined to spread to the entire casino industry in Australia. Crown was the leader of this group, but the entire industry has a sleazy reputation that involves money laundering and attracts international identities from the world of politics and crime who are spending money from questionable sources.
These " High Rollers " attract all the services that give gambling a bad name. Loan sharks prey on people having a losing streak and there are always women prepared to trade sex for money. It is a form of gambling that relies on human nature, but the winning edge is always with the casino and the government tolerates this social evil because of the tax it receives.
Australia has always been known as a gambling nation. The Melbourne cup is an international horse race known throughout the world, and this nation stops at 3 pm on the first Tuesday in November as the event is run. Office sweeps contribute to the astronomical amount wagered on that race, often by people who otherwise rarely place a bet.
Then there are the poker machines. These colourful, noisy gambling devices are in every club and pub and their enticing music attracts people to " have a flutter ". They are certainly very addictive and they seem to be placed in suburbs where the average working class families are concentrated. The government is under pressure to limit access for problem gamblers.
A new casino probably would not have been questioned if it not were for s scandal that threw the spotlight on our banking system. The laws designed to prevent money laundering of drug money and the transfer of funds to terrorist organizations were being ignored and a banking Royal commission brought this to public notice.
It was quite evident that casino's attracted wealth from the criminal world and that losses were considered a reasonable exchange for laundering money that could otherwise not be explained. The customers of casinos were often dictators or international criminals involved in the arms race.
Eventually, Crown will present a management team the government will accept and that new casino will get its license. But the shadowy customers who spend big money in its high roller room will still be from very questionable sources !
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