Former Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Peter German recently released Dirty Money, a report about money laundering in British Columbia casinos. According to German, an estimated $100 million in dirty money from opioid trafficking and other illicit sources was laundered through the casinos as criminals took advantage of weaknesses in regulation and management.
German’s report indicated Ontario does a better job at keeping dirty money out of casinos. Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario Senior Communications Advisor Ray Kahnert stated he was not surprised by German’s report. “I don’t want to sound defensive, but we never let our guard down. One incident is one too many. So we’re looking at what he has said, and we’re going to learn from it. The whole modernization of the regulation of gaming means you never stand still. You’re always looking to see what you can improve.”
Kahnert said, “We take a modernized approach to the regulation of gaming in Ontario.” He explained the AGCO operates as an independent Crown agency and reports to the Ontario attorney general. “We have the legislation in place to give us authority. When casinos opened in Ontario the policy decision was made to establish a separate Crown agency responsible for regulation.”
Kahnert noted a bureau of the Ontario Provincial Police with approximately 160 police officers is located within the structure of the AGCO. “They are able to respond immediately to any kind of illegal activity happening within a casino. Suspicious activity of any kind is being looked at in real time, and it’s acted upon. Patrons are interviewed, questions are asked. The timeliness of it, I think, is what sets Ontario apart as one of the leading regulators in Canada and even in North America.” He added, “We have quite a number of large casinos with table games. The officers are literally in the building, 24/7, observing what is going on,” Kahnert stated.
He emphasized, “This is in collaboration with the casino operator. There is a requirement in our standards that any illegal activity must be reported immediately. It’s in the public interest. The average patron walking in will know there is some agency overseeing — and I’m not just talking about the cameras in the ceiling — there’s an agency, an authority that will assure them everything will be played fairly.”
