Former Crown owner Packer accuses lawmakers, regulators of trying to destroy Australian casino industry

Monday, November 24, 2025 9:12 PM
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  • Ben Blaschke, Inside Asian Gaming

James Packer, the former Chairman and major shareholder of Crown Resorts, has accused Australian lawmakers of trying to bankrupt the casino industry – accusing former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews of reneging on a significant tax deal for Crown Melbourne and questioning how the Chief Commissioner of the NSW regulator, Philip Crawford, still has a job.

He has also expressed his gratitude to US private equity firm Blackstone for their AU$8.9 billion (US$6.5 billion) purchase of Crown in 2022, part of a wide-ranging interview published Sunday by Australian business news outlet Rampart. The video published with this article is only a snippet of the full interview.