Casino operator fined in Canada over anti-money laundering failings
Great Canadian Entertainment was fined again by Ontario’s gaming regulator on 7 July. This time, the casino operator was fined CA$170,000 (approximately US$124,000) after an audit identified deficiencies in anti-money laundering procedures at Pickering Casino Resort in the Greater Toronto Area. The penalty was imposed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the regulator responsible for overseeing the province’s regulated gaming market.
According to the regulator, the investigation found that the operator failed to properly identify, assess and monitor customers classified as high risk. In addition, the company failed to submit mandatory suspicious transaction reports in several cases, despite indications of potential money laundering.
The latest penalty is the second six-figure fine imposed on Great Canadian Entertainment in less than two weeks, highlighting increased regulatory scrutiny of casino operators in Canada.
Audit identified failures in customer monitoring
According to the AGCO, the compliance audit found that several high-risk customers did not receive the enhanced level of monitoring required under Ontario’s regulatory standards. Provincial rules require casino operators to maintain robust processes capable of identifying unusual financial activity, monitoring higher-risk customers and promptly reporting any suspicious transactions to the appropriate authorities.
At Pickering Casino Resort, auditors found that these procedures were not applied consistently. As a result, some transactions showing potential indicators of money laundering were not reported through Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs), which are mandatory under Canada’s financial crime prevention framework.
AGCO CEO and Registrar Dr Karin Schnarr stressed that operators have an active responsibility to protect the integrity of the sector.
“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, important safeguards that protect the integrity of Ontario’s gaming sector are weakened.”
Second penalty within days
At the end of June, Great Canadian Entertainment was fined CA$120,000 (approximately US$84,700) for using gaming system software that had not received regulatory approval at four casinos across the province. According to the regulator, dozens of installations of revoked or unapproved software were identified on systems responsible for processing payments and wagers.
Although the violation differs from the current case, the AGCO noted that the use of unauthorised systems can also undermine mechanisms designed to prevent fraud and money laundering, while also affecting public confidence in the regulated market. As a result, the company has accumulated CA$290,000 (approximately US$205,000) in fines imposed by the regulator within a period of less than ten days.
In Canada, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) policies, a set of measures aimed at combating money laundering, are taken very seriously and are widely adopted by licensed gaming operators. Casinos are required to implement internal programmes capable of detecting unusual financial transactions, verifying the source of customer funds, monitoring higher-risk customer profiles and reporting suspicious transactions to the relevant financial intelligence authorities.
These requirements were introduced alongside the province’s regulatory framework and gained further importance following several investigations involving financial crimes at gaming venues across the country. For Canadian regulators, effective prevention depends not only on the existence of internal policies but also on the consistent application of those controls in daily operations. Failures in customer identification or in reporting suspicious transactions may result in significant fines and other administrative sanctions.
Company may still appeal
Despite the AGCO’s decision, Great Canadian Entertainment still has the right to challenge the penalty. Ontario legislation allows the company to file an appeal within 15 days to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), an independent body that forms part of the province’s administrative tribunal system. If an appeal is filed, the tribunal will determine whether the fine should be upheld, reduced or overturned.
So far, the operator has not issued a detailed public statement regarding the regulator’s decision.
In recent years, the AGCO has intensified its oversight of licensed operators, imposing sanctions related not only to money laundering but also to the protection of minors, gaming system integrity, operational safety and compliance with responsible gaming requirements.
The objective is to strengthen Ontario’s regulated market, considered one of North America’s largest iGaming markets since opening to private operators in 2022. The regulator also aims to ensure that licensed companies maintain high compliance standards while preserving consumer confidence.
This article was first published on the Portuguese SiGMA News page on 10 July 2026.
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