Mark McWhinnie becomes Crown Sydney CEO

Australia continues to make tentative steps in overcoming some of the biggest scandals that rocked its casino and gambling industries nationwide. Part of this rectification has been the decision by Crown Resorts and Star Entertainment to purge their ranks and hire executives of good repute and a clear commitment to upholding industry standards.

The latest such executive is appointed in Crown Resorts’ corner with Mark McWhinnie now taking the reins over at Crown Sydney. The hospitality giant was recently acquired by Blackstone, which followed an extensive investigation into the gambling behemoth’s practices in New South Wales, Victoria, and elsewhere across Australia.

Now, McWhinnie will fill in for Simon McGrath, the outgoing chief executive, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. McWhinnie is an important addition to the company as he brings along with him 40 years of gaming-related experience, which Blackstone seems to appreciate.

The new owner is keen to only have casino executives who have extensive knowledge of the day-to-day comings and goings of the industry and who can ensure that properties such as Crown Sydney will not be suspected of committing fraudulent acts ever again. McWhinnie’s own professional track record is important, and he has done jobs in Australia, China, Japan, and Singapore.

He also collaborated with Ciaran Carruthers, the new Crown Resorts chief executive officer, on other projects in Macau in the past, giving him a good start in the company. Carruthers was appointed by Blackstone following in the same logic that in order to guarantee the integrity of its newly acquired assets, the company will have to put people with extensive experience in the sector, helping safeguard against any future ad-hoc events.

Crown is steel reeling and treading carefully after an extensive 60 Minutes’ investigation revealed ties with international criminal syndicates and money launderers back in 2019, and with the company still put under a special monitoring regime before the operations can return under its own corporate’s roof.

McWhinnie has not been worried by any of these developments, though, arguing that he was joining Crown Sydney fully committed to helping the property restore its good reputation and ensure that patrons are playing in a safe and responsible environment. The investigations into Crown and Star have launched a series of important changes in the industry that still continues.

There have been calls for tougher regulators, tougher measures, and even repeated urges to suspend licenses for some of the offending properties. Under McWhinnie’s stint, though, Blackstone and Crown Sydney feel that the property will remain on the straight and narrow.

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