Crown Resorts’ new chief executive, Ciaran Carruthers, says the casino giant isn’t banking on Chinese high rollers returning to Australia to boost its bottom line.

“I think there’s probably been an over reliance on the Chinese tourists in Australia; they’ve been such an easy target for some of the casinos of the past,” he said on Tuesday.

“Though I have great confidence tourism will return as the international borders continue to open up, Crown will not be going down the path of the old junket model.”

Crown would continue to cater to international tourists seeking accommodation, hospitality or entertainment, he said.

Officially in his second day on the job, Carruthers said he’d like to cement Crown as the gold standard for gaming, acknowledging that the business still had a lot of “heavy lifting” to do before he’s able to fully focus on transforming the culture as a whole.

“I’m here for the long term. My goal is to ensure Crown is the gold standard of a responsible gaming, entertainment integrated resort for our domestic, interstate and international customers,” he said.

Carruthers addressed employees from Melbourne on Monday, thanking incumbent chief executive Steve McCann – who only lasted in the role for about a year – for stabilising the group over the past 15 months as it weathered a reputational crisis and regulatory inquiries.

In 2019, an investigation by this masthead and 60 Minutes revealed Crown had been infiltrated by international criminal syndicates and money launderers. Since then, government inquiries in the three states where its casinos operate have ruled it unfit to hold a casino licence, preventing it from opening the high-rise casino at its newest $2.2 billion tower at Sydney’s Barangaroo in late 2020.

Crown was forced to overhaul its board, management and procedures to satisfy the regulators, who approved a conditional licence for Crown to operate its Barangaroo casino in June. The conditional licence is valid until December 31, 2023.