The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission on Monday slapped the company's Melbourne casino with $120 million in fines for systemic breaches, including letting people gamble for up to 24 hours at a time.
The casino is currently under a two-year supervision order by a state government-appointed special manager to decide whether it should continue to hold a licence following a damning 2021 royal commission.
"Crown are on probation at the moment, and in about 15 months' time the commission will be making a decision to determine whether or not Crown is suitable to continue to hold its license," commission chair Fran Thorn said on Monday.
"If it loses its license, if it's found not be suitable, it's a much bigger hit than $100 million."
Last year's royal commission found the Southbank casino had breached its code of conduct for the responsible service of gambling over about 12 years.
The commission imposed the maximum penalty of $100 million for allowing patrons to gamble for upwards of 24 hours without a break.
A second fine of $20 million was imposed due to Crown's failure to prevent patrons from using devices to hold down pokie machine buttons, which allowed patrons to play continuously and on multiple machines at the same time.
In response, Crown, which underwent an $8.9 billion takeover by global private equity group Blackstone earlier this year, vowed to implement changes.
"Crown has invested heavily in its remediation program," a spokesperson said.
"This includes our Responsible Gaming resources, which in Melbourne has increased overall staffing levels by nearly 80 per cent in the past 18 months, and more than doubled across Crown Resorts, with more to come."
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