IAGR2025 session:
Risk transformation amid regulatory reinvention
In 2021, Steve Blackburn was recruited to Crown Resorts at a time of regulatory crisis. The company had been found unsuitable to operate a casino in New South Wales, was facing Royal Commissions in Victoria and Western Australia, and was under enforcement action by AUSTRAC.
As Crown’s Chief Risk Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Financial Crime Officer, Steve led the company’s transformation and remediation efforts, appearing before both Royal Commissions and overseeing reforms across risk, compliance, anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption and responsible gaming. Many of the risk management measures introduced during this period have since informed broader regulatory reform across Australia.
In this session, Steve will share Crown’s journey as a case study — offering an operator’s perspective on what works, what doesn’t, and how regulatory relationships evolved in one of the world’s fastest-changing gambling environments.
About Steven:
With over 25 years of experience, Steve is a recognised global expert in financial crime prevention, risk management and compliance. He has deep knowledge of and experience with risk management and compliance in heavily regulated environments across industry sectors, including hospitality and gaming, financial services and superannuation/wealth management.
As Group Chief Risk Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Financial Crime Officer at Australia’s largest entertainment and gaming group, Steve transformed the group’s Risk Management, Compliance, Financial Crime and Responsible Gaming programs and teams, including designing and implementing new Target Operating Model and growing the teams both in capacity and capability, considerably. Appearing before both Royal Commissions in two Australian states, Steve was the architect and leader of the gaming group’s transformation and remediation efforts, which ultimately resulted in the granting of conditional licenses in all three states and the sale of the entity to a foreign private equity company at a favourable price.
Steve was formerly the Chief Financial Crime Officer at National Australia Bank and CIBC, leading transformations in financial crime risk practices at both global banks. Toronto-born and raised, Steve has chaired or presented at numerous regulatory risk conferences in Toronto and globally.
