Australia’s financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC has ordered The Ville Resort-Casino in Townsville and Mindil Beach Casino Resort in Darwin to bring in external auditors to assess their anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) compliance.
The external auditors will be tasked with assessing the casinos’ compliance with the AML/CTF Act and AML/CTF Rules, including but not limited to examining if the casinos have an AML/CTF program that identifies, mitigates and manages money laundering and terrorism funding risks.
The auditors will also assess how the board of directors and senior management at the two casinos carry out oversight of AML/CTF programs.
These audits will be conducted at the expense of the operators and following the conclusion of the audits, AUSTRAC will assess whether any further regulatory action is required based on the outcomes of the audits.
“Although they may be smaller than entities such as Crown Resorts and The Star, like all gambling venues, The Ville and Mindil Beach face heightened risk of exploitation by criminals,” said AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas.
“AUSTRAC is serious about driving illicit money out of the gambling industry in Australia and making sure businesses that facilitate gambling have strong money laundering controls. This action follows major actions we have taken against other casinos, Crown Resorts, Sky City, and The Star and online bookmakers, Entain, Sportsbet and bet 365.
“My message to boards and CEOs of gambling business, including pubs and clubs with gaming machines, is to make sure you comply with Australian money laundering laws and take your responsibility to tackle money laundering seriously; we are watching and we will take further action,” Thomas concluded. “Money laundering harms our economy and it allows criminals to profit from some of the most awful crimes – we need to stamp it out.”