The WA Government is making sweeping changes to how it oversees Crown Perth, including ensuring former chief casino officer Michael Connolly will not work in casino regulation again, an inquiry has been told.
Mr Connolly stood aside from his position earlier this year after his friendships with Crown Perth executives became public.
The Perth Casino Royal Commission has been told that Mr Connolly took the casino executives on regular fishing trips on a boat he liked to call 'The Good Ship Compliance'.
Interim director-general of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) Lanie Chopping told the royal commission on Thursday Mr Connolly was on long-term leave.
Casino watchdog too trusting
Ms Chopping also told the inquiry casino watchdog, the Gaming and Wagering Commission (GWC), had not been "suspicious" enough, especially of the material presented to them by the casino.
"Yes, I think that level of trust was excessive," she said.
Ms Chopping said she was "not yet satisfied" that Crown Perth had not underpaid casino tax by deducting marketing expenses from gaming revenue before calculating how much it owed the WA Government.
The Victorian royal commission into Crown Melbourne heard these methods led to the casino potentially underpaying $200 million in casino tax over seven years.
As part of her wide-ranging review of how her department regulated the casino, Ms Chopping said she was open to the idea of Crown Perth paying a levy to fund harm minimisation programs.
"My personal opinion is there's a method by which industry can contribute funds for those purposes without there being a capture issue or any kind of, you know, Dracula in charge of the blood bank assertions," she said.
Other changes included new staff, training for GWC members and inspectors dedicated to racing and gaming operations, as well as working more closely with other regulatory bodies such as AUSTRAC.
