AGCO orders fine against Great Canadian Entertainment
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario says Pickering Casino Resort failed to monitor high-risk patrons and report suspicious activity.
Canada.- The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has ordered Great Canadian Entertainment (GCE) to pay a $170,000 penalty after a compliance audit of Pickering Casino Resort. It says the operator failed to adequately identify, assess, and monitor high-risk patrons and report suspicious activity, including potential money laundering indicators.
Ontario’s gaming standards require operators to have effective measures to identify and respond to suspicious activity, including reporting suspected money laundering. AGCO said it found several failures by GCE to properly assess and track high-risk patrons and that Suspicious Transaction Reports were not filed in various cases.
GCE has 15 days within which it can appeal against to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT).
Karin Schnarr, chief executive officer and registrar at AGCO, commented: “The AGCO requires casino operators to take a proactive approach to identifying and reporting suspicious activity. When high-risk behaviour is not properly monitored or reported, it weakens important safeguards that protect the integrity of Ontario’s gaming sector. The AGCO will continue to hold operators accountable to high standards of responsible operation.”
In June, AGCO ordered GCE to pay a $120,000 penalty for using unauthorised gaming system software at Ontario casinos. It said the compliance failure bypassed requirements designed to protect the integrity of casino gaming.
