Inside Asian Gaming

IAG MAY 2022年5月 亞博匯 22 provide substantial tax revenue (notwithstanding instances of evasion at Crown Melbourne), are enjoyed by thousands of people every day and provide a safe place for people to gamble. “They are safe in the sense that games are offered with integrity, so you will get your money back when you ask for it,” the regulator said. “If you don’t have that safe space, casinos will still exist, but they will do so illegally where it is not so safe, so the community is better served with legalized casinos than with a ban on casinos.” However, the future of Australia’s 14 casinos – and particularly the big five operated by Crown and Star – might not be as secure as it seems. “There is a real issue now as to where the industry goes as a whole, and I’ve been interested to see that [recent revelations] seem to have given oxygen – at least from the current Bell inquiry [into The Star Sydney] – to prohibitionists,” says David Green, a veteran industry consultant and former advisor to the Macau government. COVER STORY “One issue that won’t go away quickly is that governments are now going to be asked to reevaluate the risk/reward equation for the industry as a whole. “There is a lot to be said for the Productivity Commission taking a look at this again on the basis of asking the question: is investment in this industry actually warranted on the numbers? And if there is a question mark, I think a number of the states, if they have the right government in place, could decide this is all too hard and wind it right back.”