Perth casino royal commission: Former chief casino officer Mick Connolly sold boat to Crown staff member

The state’s former chief casino officer — one of the most senior people tasked with keeping tabs on Crown Casino and its staff — sold a boat to one of those staff for $13,000, the Perth Casino Royal Commission has been told. After becoming a casino inspector in 1990, Mick Connolly had risen through public service ranks to become one the most powerful casino regulators in the state, with various roles giving him responsibility overseeing Crown’s operations — including on the Gaming and Wagering Commission. In counsel assisting Patricia Cahill’s terms, Mr Connolly was “effectively running the show at GWC meetings” from 2017 onwards. And his code of conduct decreed he must declare to his bosses any actual or perceived conflicts of interest that might raise concerns, including personal relationships. The royal commission heard this morning Mr Connolly had several friendships with Crown staff — including with Claude Marais, the general manager of legal and compliance at Crown and Paul Hulme, the manager of gaming and regulatory compliance. And it was revealed those friendships were so close, that one of those friends bought a boat that Mr Connolly had purchased in around 2015 for $8000, and had been renovating. After that renovation was completed, the boat was sold for $13,000, which left Mr Connolly with a profit of $116. Mr Connolly told his then boss Barry Sargeant about that transaction. But neither of them apparently thought at the time that it might be perceived as a conflict of interest – and Mr Connolly said today he still didn’t think it should be seen that way. “It didn’t occur to me at the time — I wouldn’t have done it otherwise,” Mr Connolly said today. “I genuinely believe I haven’t allowed it to influence anything — there is no actual conflict of interest. It is managing the potential or perceived (conflict of interest). “That transaction certainly didn’t translate into an ability to influence — but different people would perceive different things.” Mr Connolly stepped down from the role of chief casino officer in February this year, after reports emerged about his friendship and regular fishing trips with Mr Marais. It emerged today that those trips were regular and longstanding since 2013, with the pair spending up to three days a week on a boat for weeks at time during crayfish season. There were also other fishing weekends away, and dinners. Ms Cahill asked Mr Connolly whether he ever considered that those outside the Crown bubble might think those friendships could lead him to go easier on Crown. “I don’t think I gave it enough thought, I absolutely concede that I could have done better and declared those friendships more formally,” Mr Connolly said. “But that friendship has not influenced any decisions that I have made, I don’t believe. “I have never knowingly been influenced – and am still not aware of any influence that has been exerted on me.” The commission also heard this morning how inspectors tasked with keeping an eye on Perth’s only casino were never told to look for potential money laundering or criminal activity at Crown – and have not been given any formal training for the role since the 90s. Mr Connolly began his evidence by explaining what his various roles had entailed over the years, beginning as one of the casino inspectors. He said he was given months of training before he took on that role. But since then he said, the training had been ‘on the job’, and had not changed since the 90s. And he inspections were not done to specifically look for money laundering or criminal activity at the casino.