Crown Resorts CEO resigns following scathing money laundering report
Crown Resorts’ Chef Executive Ken Barton stood down from his post after fallout from a damning report over the company’s role in money laundering.
The report by New South Wales’s Liquor and Gaming Authority found the business unsuitable for a gaming license under its current leadership structure.
He joins several other executives out of the door.
The company was accused of ‘facilitating money laundering, exposing staff to the risk of detention in a foreign jurisdiction and pursuing commercial relationships with individuals’ linked to crime gangs.
Inquiry commissioner Patricia Bergin said Barton has shown a ‘breath-taking lack of care’ when dealing with the allegations which have dogged the company for years.
"He is no match for what is needed at the helm of a casino licensee," Bergin said in the final report.
Executive chairman Helen Coonan is managing a leadership reshuffle and taking ‘significant steps to improve governance, compliance and culture.’
Although the report centered on Crown’s application for a gaming license in NSW, it could face extra scrutiny in Victoria and Western Australia where it operates gaming resorts.
Barton said he has been assisting with with the leadership transition before his departure.
"I am absolutely certain the business is now on the right path as it works to restore confidence in its operations, he said."
Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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