Depending on who is asked, the corporate lawyer turned casino regulator is either keeping the bastards honest – or hounding them out of business.
Already a subscriber?In late November 2016, under the leadership of then-newly appointed Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority chairman Philip Crawford, a lawyer named Jonathan Horton published the outcome of a quarterly review into Star Entertainment’s sprawling Sydney casino.
On Monday, Crawford – the man who called the first inquiry into Star and a separate investigation into whether rival Crown Resorts was suitable to hold a Sydney licence – thrust himself back into the limelight. He is the only one of his four siblings to remain in NSW, and one of two who went into the legal profession. Crawford never thought he’d end up in regulating liquor and gaming – let alone casinos.
He arrived at the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority in 2016 and within a matter of months was appointed its chairman. When he became chief commissioner of the newly formed Independent Casino Commission in 2022, he stopped mediation and turned his focus entirely to casinos. At work, his expressions are referred to as Phil-erisms and when he starts telling long-winded tales they call it Phil-bustering. He has an astute memory and can speak on a topic for hours.
Within a month, ILGA had delayed the opening of Crown’s flagship Sydney casino, and by January, it had appointed Patricia Bergin to assess whether it was suitable to hold a licence in NSW. In October 2021, months after the NSW government implemented the recommendations of the Bergin Inquiry, ILGA began an inquiry into the conduct of Star.
“It wasn’t just hiding money from the taxman – in Australia, that’s almost a sport. This was organised crime makes money from people-smuggling, from child sexual abuse, terrorist financing and drugs.” In 2017, the government had adopted most of the recommendations of a Casino Modernisation Review conducted by former Victorian gambling regulator Peter Cohen, now head of regulatory affairs at The Agenda Group.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
ASX SGR: Embattled casino giant had files accessed in HWL Ebsworth breachHackers stole 2.5 million documents from HWL Ebsworth clients last April. Some of Star’s customers and employees were compromised.
Read more »
ASX SGR: Embattled Star casino owner cleans out executive teamStaff were informed of the changes on Friday afternoon after the market closed.
Read more »
SGR ASX: Casino operator Star Entertainment posts $9.1m profit despite revenue fallThe company was forced to delay its financial results after the NSW casino regulator announced a second inquiry into its conduct.
Read more »
SGR ASX: Why James Packer is the luckiest billionaire in AustraliaCrown Resorts may have given him plenty of heartburn, but the latest ugly numbers from Star Entertainment show how well-timed the sale really was.
Read more »
ASX 200 LIVE: ASX to slip, US equities reset record highsShares are set to edge lower; US equities reset record highs; gold, oil ease; Reddit leaps on debut, while Apple slumps on lawsuit; ANZ sees iron ore floor. Follow updates here.
Read more »
ASX 200 LIVE: ASX to rise, S&P 500 resets record highASX futures add 0.6pc, Fed policymakers reiterate rates cut are approaching. $A rallies, bitcoin rebounds. Gold jumps. Follow updates here.
Read more »