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ABC News
24 minutes ago
- ABC News
Pokies giant Mounties accused of letting gamblers wager $140m in dirty money
The first licensed club group targeted by the nation's financial crimes intelligence agency is accused of turning over almost $140 million from 10 gamblers considered high risk of money laundering and counterterrorism financing. The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) has published court documents related to its Federal Court case against Mounties, the operator of 10 venues across Sydney's south-west, North Shore, and the Central Coast. The documents reveal Mounties' network of about 1,400 poker machines had $4.17 billion fed through them over the four financial years from 2019 to 2023. AUSTRAC is alleging in the civil suit that Mounties systematically failed to meet its anti-money laundering (AML) and counterterrorism financial (CTF) obligations, citing a sample of 10 gamblers considered high risk. "Mounties served innumerable customers without adequate controls," the financial crimes intelligence agency alleged in the court documents. "The Sample Suspicious Customers alone had turnovers in excess of $139,855,108 and payouts in excess of $10,464,856. "As a consequence of Mounties' [alleged] contraventions of the Act, the Australian community and Australia's financial systems have been exposed to systemic [money laundering and counterterrorism financial] risk over many years." Mounties Group, registered as Mount Pritchard and District Community Club, declined to comment. However, it issued a statement last week. "We are reviewing AUSTRAC's Originating Application and Concise Statement, relating to alleged contraventions of our obligations to maintain a compliant program and conduct appropriate ongoing due diligence of customers under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act," it said. "We have been dedicating significant investment and resources to transform our AML/CTF capabilities since being notified by AUSTRAC of its concerns. Among the group's 10 venues is Mounties in Mount Pritchard, which consistently ranks as the licensed club with the most lucrative poker machines in NSW. AUSTRAC's chief executive, Brendan Thomas, said taking one of the most successful licensed clubs to court would send a message to other licensed clubs and hotels operating in the state. "This is the first time AUSTRAC has brought proceedings against a registered club. It is a chance for other pubs and clubs to check that they've got proper controls, that they understand what's happening in their own operations, and that they're doing everything they can to comply with the law," he said. More than half of the country's gaming machines are found in NSW. In the financial year ending in 2024, nearly 88,000 poker machines generated $8.4 billion in profit, according to a recent report from the state's auditor-general. The machines generated a further $2.3 billion in tax revenue. AUSTRAC provided a sample of 10 gamblers it considered high risk of money laundering or counter-terrorism financing in its court filing. It claimed they demonstrated at least one of the following markers of suspicious activity: Of the sample of 10 suspicious gamblers, AUSTRAC alleged Mounties identified eight of them and reported seven of them to the agency's chief executive. But it describes its compliance system as "not designed to enable Mounties to understand, recognise, identify, mitigate or manage the money laundering/terrorism financing risks posed". Mounties Group outsources its money laundering and counter-terrorism financing compliance program to Betsafe, a third-party used by other licensed clubs. Betsafe also declined to comment. AUSTRAC alleges Mounties' compliance program is not adequate to stop criminals from gambling with dirty money in its poker machines over four years. It also alleges Mounties customers could have engaged in a practice known as "bill stuffing," where cash is put into a poker machine only to be withdrawn as a cheque, with little or no game play taking place. Furthermore, it is alleged that customers could have paid other gamblers in cash for their winning vouchers, tickets, or credits; use multiple cashiers or terminals to avoid being observed by staff; and gain the trust of staff to get around being detected, or have to show their identification to collect their winnings. The civil case is before the Federal Court.
ABC News
24 minutes ago
- ABC News
Bordertown domestic violence murder prompts calls for more funding in regional SA
A domestic violence murder and suicide in a small South Australian town has highlighted gaps in victim-survivor services, an advocate says. Police said a 41-year-old woman was murdered by her partner, a 47-year-old man, before he took his own life at their home in Bordertown on Sunday. Major Crime detectives attended the scene throughout Monday, but there is no other suspect in relation to the deaths. Bordertown has a population of 3,000 and is located near the Victorian border in South Australia's south east. Susie Smith is the co-chair of the state's peak domestic violence services body Embolden and Centacare's regional manager of domestic violence services. She said the town's location, 180 kilometres north of the regional city of Mount Gambier and 270 kilometres east of Adelaide, made it difficult to reach victim-survivors. "We have been advocating for many years for more services that are less centralised," she said. If you need help immediately call emergency services on triple-0 Centacare has been running outreach programs in Bordertown and the surrounding area since 2023, while most of its staff are based in Mount Gambier. She said these outreach programs in smaller, isolated towns could be successful if they were appropriately funded and resourced. "We have the evidence these programs are making a big difference," Ms Smith said. "We've worked really closely with the community of Bordertown and Naracoorte, and we've done some healthy relationships and recognising domestic violence within communities, workplaces and cultural gathering places. Police on Monday said they had been in contact with the man earlier in the year after a previous domestic violence incident, but that there were no court-imposed restrictions on his contact with the woman. Asked about the incident on ABC Radio Adelaide, SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the force would review its interactions with the pair before their deaths. "It's not appropriate for me to speculate on the relationship or involvement SA Police had with that family; it's something we look at," he said. "I suppose there are potential circumstances where police could have done more; I'm not saying that's the case at this point in time, but we will be certainly looking at that. A leader at the Bordertown Islamic Community Centre, Hassan Mahmood, said the town's migrant community was resilient, but the murder-suicide had devastated it. "It will have a ripple effect. First of all, people culturally here are not used to it, and the children are grown and in a different environment here," Dr Mahmood said. "It's the kind of thing that will have a long-lasting effect." Ms Smith said Centacare's domestic violence support workers had been in Bordertown this week to mourn with the Islamic community. "We absolutely admire [them] for what they bring to the South East and the community of Bordertown. We are truly very saddened for them," she said.
News.com.au
24 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Kiama MP Gareth Ward to fight expulsion attempt by Labor government in Supreme Court
Convicted rapist and sitting MP Gareth Ward will return before the Supreme Court in Sydney's CBD today as he fights attempts by the Labor-controlled state government to have him expelled from parliament. The Kiama MP was taken into custody on remand last week while awaiting sentencing after he was found guilty by a jury of three counts of indecent assault and a fourth count of intercourse without consent. The charges relate to acts against two young men – an 18-year-old at Meroo Meadow in 2013 and a 24-year-old man in Potts Point in 2015 – and sparked calls for the south coast MP to resign from parliament. A motion was expected to be introduced by Labor to the Legislative Assembly to expel Ward, with support from the Coalition earlier this week. If successful, it would mark the first expulsion from the NSW lower house since 1917. Instead, the matter was set down for a full-day hearing at the Supreme Court after an 11th hour injunction was applied for by Ward's lawyers, who argue the state parliament does not have the power to expel him. The last-minute legal move makes it almost impossible to expel Ward, who is still being paid by parliament and is the current member for Kiama, before the Legislative Assembly adjourns until next month. Leader of the House Ron Hoenig earlier in the week said the court did not have the authority to stop matters being but before legislators, but that the state government would abide by the injunction out of respect. The matter sets the stage for a peculiar legal challenge. Premier Chris Minns told 2GB on Tuesday morning most people would 'appreciate it's an unconscionable situation to have someone who's currently sitting in jail in Silverwater convicted of serious sexual offences who is demanding to remain a member of parliament and continue to be paid'. Asked why Ward had not resigned, Mr Minns said 'clearly, he's got no shame'. Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said that, if the government was prepared, they could resume 'in the interim with a small quorum of MPs'. 'We would be willing to do that. It would be possible, for example, to have just 20 MPs, the quorum deal with the matter,' he said. Mr Speakman said 'As a general principle, we are supporting the government's efforts in court. 'That includes as a general principle the arguments that it's putting in court and the outcome that it seeks, which is that the injunction is lifted and the parliament can proceed to expel Mr Ward.' The injunctive orders issued by the court, 'pending further order', restrain the defendant, Mr Hoenig, from 'from taking any steps to expel or otherwise resolve to expel' Ward between July 30 and 10am on Friday.
