Key takeaways:
- Perth authorities raided a suburban home in Marangaroo, shutting down an alleged underground casino and seizing over $83,000 in cash.
- A Crown Casino employee was allegedly dealing cards and has had his gaming licence suspended.
- This was the fourth such raid in Perth since 2023, with nearly $300,000 in illegal gambling cash confiscated in total.
Police and gambling regulators in Perth have shut down an alleged underground casino inside a suburban home, catching 18 people, including a Crown Casino staff member and a security guard — in the middle of a baccarat game.
Officers from the Transnational Serious Organised Crime Squad, working with Racing, Gaming and Liquor investigators, entered the Marangaroo property in April, finding players, organisers and security personnel gathered around a professional table. Gaming chips, a card shoe, an electronic scoreboard and more than $83,000 in cash were seized.
Authorities said the Crown Perth employee was allegedly dealing cards at the venue, and his gaming licence has since been suspended by the Gaming and Wagering Commission. No charges have yet been laid, with inquiries continuing.
This was the fourth raid of its kind in Perth since 2023, which together have led to multiple dealers losing their licences, action against organisers and almost $300,000 in cash confiscated. In one earlier case last July, three men were fined $25,000 each after police raided an illegal gaming house in Mount Lawley, recovering about $130,000.
Racing and Gaming Minister Paul Papalia said the focus was on dismantling professional gambling operations often linked to organised crime, not small social games. He warned that those involved risk criminal charges and the loss of their licence and employment.
Gaming and Wagering Commission chair Gary Dreibers stressed that such unlicensed venues often attract banned casino patrons and facilitate betting with illicit funds. He said police and regulators would continue working together to close them down.
Police Minister Reece Whitby said the Cook Government remained determined to remove makeshift casinos from the community, warning anyone considering involvement that the organised crime squad could soon be “knocking on your door.”