Crown to Change Sydney Casino Work Hours, Lay 180 Workers Off

Crown Resorts is set to cut jobs at its Sydney casino, which continues to struggle with low visitation. The casino operator will also reduce its working hours, according to a report by The Sydney Morning Herald.

The NSW news outlet said that the casino operator’s Sydney property does not have enough visitors to justify the 24/7 working hours of the property. The casino, which already shut down one of its gaming floors, will thus reduce its work hours and will close down for eight hours every day.

Under the new schedule, Crown Sydney will close at 2 am and will reopen at 10 am from Monday to Thursday, as well as on Sundays. On Fridays and Saturdays, the casino will close at 4 am instead.

This change will also affect Crown Sydney’s workforce as the operator prepares to part ways with as many as 180 workers. This would mean that the gambling company has cut off a total of 275 since it opened the Barangaroo property in August 2022.

According to a Crown spokesperson, the dismissed workers include many people in frontline gambling-related roles. Some people in casino support and hospitality are also likely to be affected by the layoffs.

Crown Sydney promised to redeploy as many people as it can to its other casinos in the state and promised to provide support to the rest.

Crown’s Business Remains Troubled

Crown Resorts continues to struggle in the aftermath of the regulatory trouble it recently encountered. Multiple violations forced the company to introduce changes to its leadership and implement remediation measures to prevent repeated offenses.

Amidst these hurdles, Crown recently tried to renegotiate its AUD 1 billion tax guarantee with the government of New South Wales. However, Premier Chris Minns said that he believes Crown should either honor its agreement or return the land.

Adding to Crown’s woes, the company narrowly avoided a strike at its Melbourne property. Luckily, the casino operator was able to reach an agreement with its workers.

In the meantime, a former guard is preparing to sue the casino company once again, alleging that Crown and its ex-president James Packer failed to pay him the AUD 260,000 they owed in relation to a previous lawsuit.

One of Crown’s competitors, Star Entertainment, has encountered similar troubles and recently sold its Grand Mirage Resort Gold Coast property.