One of Australia’s largest casinos is at risk of losing its license, according to a report from the Australian Broadcasting Company.

• Crown Casino 2 Upcoming
• Crown Casino 2 Updates

The board of Crown faces a grilling at the casino inquiry this week, when their contribution to the group's governance and risk management failings will be probed. Oct 12, 2020 – 12.00am Save. Melbournes Crown Casino, host to the iconic Aussie Millions Poker series, is facing a serious threat to its licence after a series of allegations and admissions related to money laundering. Stakes are high as inquiry tosses up whether Crown Resorts is fit to hold a NSW casino licence There are allegations of money laundering, bags of cash being deposited in high-roller room. Crown Sydney opened on Monday but the casino is yet to start operating. Credit: Rhett Wyman Under the major reforms, cash deposits made to Crown's bank accounts will no longer be released to.

The Crown Casino in Melbourne is about to go under the guise of the Victorian Government as officials are preparing to crack down on the casino after it admitted that some of its accounts were likely used to launder money. The Victorian Government is appointing a special commissioner to review the allegations and whether or not the establishment is fit to hold a gambling license.

The reviews are scheduled for every five years, but the Crown Casino was just audited two years ago in 2018. The special commissioner will report his findings in February.

“Crown will continue to work cooperatively with the VCGLR (Victorian Commission for Gaming and Liquor Regulation) to support this review,” said Crown Resorts in a statement.

The Crown Casino was one of the most popular destinations for poker players in Australia as it was home to Aussie Millions, the most famous poker series on the continent held every January.

Past winners of the $10,600 AUD no-limit hold’em main event include Bryn Kenney, Toby Lewis and Ari Engel. Vincent Wan won the most recent installment this past January.

In November, Crown announced that the 2021 Aussie Millions was put on hold. Last weekend, poker dealer and tournament director Landon Blackhall confirmed on Twitter that the casino was, at least temporarily, closing its poker room.

Confirmed: the @CrownPoker Room has been stripped entirely and will (for the short term, we hope) revert to other forms of table games. No indication as to when or to what capacity poker will return. https://t.co/AytB5Z0vVf

— Landon Blackhall (@LandoNation) December 13, 2020

The initial impulse as to why it’s closed would be the COVID-19 pandemic, which is hurting poker rooms all over the world. Several Las Vegas poker rooms have yet to reopen since the virus began spreading throughout the U.S. in March. It’s rumored that most of those still closed will stay that way.

But Australia doesn’t have the same problems as the U.S. The Australian government implemented strict lockdown and immigration measures to mitigate the virus, which has become nearly nonexistent in that region of the world, making it much less likely that that the poker room closure has anything to do with COVID-19.

In fact, just an eight-hour drive northeast in Sydney, the Star Casino is allowing seven-handed poker without masks or plexiglass, measures that have become the norm in the rest of the world. A week ago, World Poker Tour host and Australia-raised Lynn Gilmartin tweeted photos from the poker room showing a bunch of maskless Aussies grinding away.

One of the last restrictions to lift in this covid-free state is allowing casino tables to open seven-handed…. Poker is BACK at The Star Gold Coast!!! pic.twitter.com/MmX2SOFf0H

— Lynn Gilmartin (@LynnGilmartin) December 11, 2020

Crown resorts has been hit by a major setback after the New South Wales gaming regulator blocked next month's opening of a new multi-billion-dollar casino in Sydney.

Melbourne’s Crown Casino is under threat of losing its licence with the Victorian government bringing forward an investigation into the controversial gaming venue. Picture: William West/AFPSource:AFP

Melbourne’s Crown Casino is under threat of losing its licence with the Victorian government bringing forward an investigation into the controversial gaming venue.

The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) will review the state’s largest single-site private sector employer following “concerning evidence” which came out of a NSW inquiry into Crown Sydney.

It was revealed the NSW gambling regulator last month blocked the planned launch of the casino group’s new $2.2 billion Sydney gaming complex.

Crown Casino 2 Upcoming

The Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority halted the opening after Crown made an 11th-hour submission to the Bergin inquiry — held this year to probe the suitability of Crown Resorts to hold a Sydney gaming licence — about criminals allegedly laundering cash through Crown in Melbourne and Perth.

Crown Casino 2 Updates

The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) will review Crown Melbourne. Picture: Scott Barbour/AAPSource:AAP

A dedicated commissioner will be appointed to the VCGLR to hold the seventh Crown Casino review.

The state’s Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Minister Melissa Horne said there was “a need for an immediate response” in Victoria following “concerning evidence” presented during the course of the NSW investigation.

“We’re making sure Crown Melbourne conducts its business in a transparent and appropriate manner,” she said.

“This review is needed given the evidence we’ve seen come out of the NSW inquiry.

“While we await the findings of that investigation, it’s appropriate to bring forward the next review to ensure Crown Melbourne is suitable to hold a licence in Victoria.”

The most recent investigation, the Sixth Casino Review, occurred in 2018.

The ILGA Inquiry will hand down its findings in February 2021.