Casino gambling is an important source of revenue and tourism driver for British Columbia. For many years, certain casinos in Lower Mainland British Columbia were unwittingly used to launder money from organized crime. In September 2017, the Attorney General of British Columbia commissioned an independent expert advisor to perform a review of money laundering in Lower Mainland casinos, and any possible connections to other sectors of the BC economy, laws, or policies, or to other crimes. This report presents the findings of this review.
To collect information for this report, the reviewer conducted interviewers with key stakeholders at BC Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB), the BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC), and other organizations. They also examined GPEB and BCLC policy documents and correspondence, reviewed related academic literature and reports, and performed casino site visits.
The reviewer provides 48 recommendations which are listed in the executive summary. These recommendations include new rules for handling cash, chips, and VIPs in casinos; improving and adhering to federal and provincial reporting; maintaining a permanent gaming investigation team; restructuring gambling regulation in BC; and performing more research into the other “vulnerable sectors” of the economy that are likely to be connected to organized crime.
