Californian poker room gets fined
Authorities have set an US$8 million dollar fine for a poker room in California State.
US.- The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a federal governmental office of the United States of America, has revealed earlier this week that they have set an US$8 million dollar fine for a poker room in California. Operators of Artichoke Joe’s Casino are facing the millionaire penalty.
According to local press, the fine was set over “willful violation of anti-money laundering controls.” FinCEN said that the casino violated federal anti-money laundering laws from 2009 to this year. “For years, Artichoke Joe’s turned a blind eye to loan sharking, suspicious transfers of high-value gaming chips, and flagrant criminal activity that occurred in plain sight,” said Jamal El-Hindi, Acting Director of FinCEN. The San Bruno card club violated the Bank Secrecy Act, the feds said.
Artichoke Joe’s Casino operates 17 traditional poker tables and about three dozen other card tables. California government has only granted 90 licenses to local operators of the card rooms in the state. “Casinos, card clubs and others in the gaming industry should consider their risk of exploitation by criminal elements, and understand that they will be held accountable if they disregard anti-money laundering and illicit finance laws,” El-Hindi warned.
