The NSW government will hand the powers to the state’s newly minted casino watchdog if new legislation passes state parliament after being introduced next week.

It follows separate inquiries revealing damning evidence of the facilitation of money laundering at Sydney’s two casinos, Crown and the Star, by gambling junkets linked to overseas criminal gangs.

The establishment of the NSW Independent Casino Commission was part of the state government’s response to the inquiry into Crown, headed by former Supreme Court judge Patricia Bergin.

Tough new conditions were placed on Crown so it could keep its doors open in Sydney after the Bergin inquiry found it was unfit to hold an operating license.

NSW Hospitality Minister Kevin Anderson said the commission would also have powers to investigate and enforce compliance with regulations.

“The new regulator will be truly independent, and will be directly funded by the Casino Supervisory Levy paid by both casinos, with independent decision-making on licensing and disciplinary matters,” Anderson said.

“The [commission] will have scope to deal appropriately with serious misconduct of the type uncovered by various recent inquiries.”

Other powers and changes include regular reviews of casino licenses, a phasing out of cash transactions of more than $1000 per day and the mandatory use of cards to gamble.

NSW Police and the NSW Crime Commission will help guide the casino watchdog in regulatory efforts.

An inquiry into Star concluded in June with a final report expected later this month.

Concerns with casino operations in NSW and Victoria prompted the setting up of an inquiry into Adelaide’s SkyCity casino.

Former Supreme Court judge Brian Martin QC was last month appointed to head an investigation into the operations into the North Terrace casino “following systemic concerns raised by inquiries into jurisdictions interstate”.

Liquor and Gambling Commissioner Dini Soulio said on July 4 that the independent probe would “ensure that the way that SkyCity operates demonstrates that the licensee is still suitable to hold the casino licence in South Australia”.

It would also examine “whether SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited is suitable to be a close associate of SkyCity Adelaide”. SkyCity Entertainment Group is the Adelaide casino’s New Zealand-based owner.

Submissions must be made by August 10. Information about the terms of reference and how to make a submission can be found here.

Martin will hand down his findings and recommendations on February 1 next year.

SkyCity casino is already subject to a separate probe from the federal government’s financial crimes watchdog for potential serious non-compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.

That enforcement investigation, undertaken by the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), was announced in June last year and is yet to reach a conclusion.

-with AAP