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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-05-25 Daily Xml
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Gambling Regulation

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:04): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Treasurer, representing the Attorney as the Minister for Consumer and Business Services in the other place, a question about gambling regulation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: In March, SA-Best called on the state government to undertake an independent investigation into the Adelaide Casino operations of the SkyCity Entertainment Group for any evidence of criminal activity. This was on the back of two disturbing revelations, the first being the scathing findings of the Bergin report into the interstate operations of the Crown Resorts casino activities, which uncovered major flaws in Crown's corporate governance which in turn facilitated money laundering and links to criminal gangs in the company's operations in Victoria and Western Australia. That report was undertaken by former New South Wales Supreme Court judge Patricia Bergin, which prompted the royal commissions in Victoria and WA into Crown's activities.

The second disturbing revelation was the legal action launched in the South Australian Supreme Court by Chinese millionaire, Mr Linong Ma, against SkyCity Adelaide and junket operators Xiongming Xie and Fang Zhuangqian. In Mr Ma's statement of claim, as I have outlined in my previous questions to the Treasurer, serious allegations have been made about whether Mr Xie is a dangerous and violent criminal and has any links with Asian triad criminal gangs. SkyCity has since announced it has stopped working with junket operators.

At the time, the Treasurer said an independent investigation was not necessary, pinning that decision on advice received by the commissioner for consumer and business affairs, which is the state's regulator. My question to the Treasurer is: has the government sought any further advice from the commissioner on whether an independent inquiry needs to be conducted into SkyCity Casino's operations? If so, what does that advice say?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:07): I have answered questions in this house on this issue and also publicly in the media. If there is any further information that I can usefully add, I will bring an answer back. But my understanding is that there is no further information over and above what I have already indicated on behalf of the government—and the commissioner, more importantly—in this place but also publicly.

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