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Crown Melbourne Casino Hit with $20 Million Fine for Tax Fraud

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Xenia Luch

22 June 2023

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Crown Casino

Crown Melbourne, an Australian casino company based in Victoria, has been caught red-handed in a tax fraud scheme. The company faked advertising expenses as big gambling wins, scoring huge tax breaks from the government.

The scam was exposed by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC).

The investigation revealed that Crown Melbourne was well aware of what it was doing but kept it under wraps.

The regulator hit the casino with a $20 million fine. The state of Victoria also collected the unpaid taxes worth $37.4 million, plus late fees totaling $24.1 million.

Mike Volkert, the current CEO of the Australian company, admitted the wrongdoing but stressed that the shady practices stopped in 2021. Since then, the casino has been playing by the rules and paying its taxes on time. It’s worth noting that the total fines paid by Crown Melbourne since 2021 have topped $250 million.