Aug 3 (Reuters) - Australia's Crown Resorts said on Tuesday Xavier Walsh will step down as chief executive of its Melbourne operations after just eight months in the role, as a broader inquiry that could see the casino operator lose its licence nears an end.

A Royal Commission is assessing Crown's fitness for holding gambling licences in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney after the company, one-third owned by billionaire James Packer, was accused of ties to money laundering.

Walsh, who joined Crown in 2008 and has been CEO at Melbourne since December last year, will cease his role on Aug. 20, the company said in a statement.

Crown will announce an interim boss for Crown Melbourne after consulting with the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation, it said. (Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi and Sameer Manekar; Editing by Maju Samuel and Stephen Coates)