Crown's anti-money laundering chief reportedly told an independent risk expert the group was "too focussed on wealth and not enough on risk", a royal commission has heard.
The inquiry into whether Crown remains suitable to keep its licence for its Melbourne operations was told on Friday that the group's anti-money laundering head, Nick Stokes, was provided no handover after taking the reins in December 2019.
Mr Stokes later aired concerns about Crown's junket operations and their potential exposure to organised crime and money laundering with Deloitte partner Murray Lawson.
Junket operators brought customers to the casino from overseas, in exchange for a cut, and netted Crown Melbourne more than $900 million between 2017 and 2019.
But they exposed the gaming giant to money laundering, with one criminally-linked junket group gambling $20.5 billion at the Southbank casino from 2015 to 2018.
Dr Lawson, a risk expert, was engaged by Crown during a NSW inquiry that found the James Packer-backed group unsuitable to run its newly built casino in Sydney's Barangaroo.
The Victorian inquiry heard notes made by Dr Lawson from a meeting with Mr Stokes showed the latter expressed concern Crown was "too focussed on wealth and not enough on risk."
Mr Stokes also reportedly said Crown's anti-money laundering team "definitely needs to be strengthened" and wasn't tracking the right people in the junket groups.
Earlier, Mr Stokes told the inquiry Crown's anti-money laundering team focussed on junket group operators, who he described as merely "figureheads".
Instead, he said, the casino needed to track the junket group representatives, who were the real "decision-makers".
But Crown's anti-money laundering team now had the "foundation of a robust framework", Mr Stokes told the inquiry on Friday.
Crown ceased all junket operations in November 2020, following the NSW inquiry led by former Supreme Court judge Patricia Bergin.
The Bergin inquiry found Crown facilitated money laundering, partnered with junket operators with links to organised crime groups even after being made aware of these connections, and exposed staff to the risk of detention in China.
The Victorian inquiry, set up by the Andrews government, began its public hearings this week.
Earlier it was told Crown refused to follow the state gaming watchdog's advice to increase scrutiny on its use of junket groups for fear of losing cashed-up clientele.
The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation in July 2018 recommended that Crown set up procedures to better scrutinise where the junket players' money came from.
But as the 12-month deadline approached, without any substantive action taken, VCGLR licence and management audit team head Jason Cremona said "alarms bells were ringing fairly loudly".
He said after probing Crown in May 2019, he was informed the firm's former chief legal officer, Josh Preston, was "furious" and had threatened to call Victoria's gaming minister.
"If Crown were required to obtain information from junket players ... that could be reason for them not to gamble at the Melbourne casino and look elsewhere," Mr Cremona told the inquiry.
The royal commission, overseen by former Federal Court judge Raymond Finkelstein QC, continues on Monday.
