(Adds context, details on new chairman)
Aug 26 (Reuters) - Australia's Crown Resorts Ltd (CWN) said on Thursday it had appointed Ziggy Switkowski as chairman to succeed Helen Coonan as a broader inquiry that could see the casino operator lose its licences nears an end.
Switkowski, currently non-executive chairman at broadband provider NBN Co after a string of roles at different telcos, will join Crown once regulatory clearances are received while insider Jane Halton will take on the role in the interim, the company said.
Australia's most powerful inquiry, called the Royal Commission, is currently assessing whether Crown can hold gambling licences in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney after it was accused of ties to money laundering.
Earlier this month, the chief executive of Crown's Melbourne operations, the company's biggest revenue generator, left after just eight months in the position.
