The operator of the Fallsview Casino Resort has been fined for failing to meet requirements on minimizing the risk of money laundering.Wayne Parry/The Associated Press
The operator of the Fallsview Casino Resort has been fined after Ontario’s gaming regulator says it failed to flag a patron who brought in tens of thousands of dollars in cash in a reusable grocery bag.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario says it has issued an order of monetary penalty totalling $70,000 to MGE Niagara Entertainment Inc. for failing to meet requirements on minimizing the risk of money laundering.
The commission says a patron went to the Salon Privé at the casino in April 2023 and presented $80,000 in strapped $100 bills from a reusable grocery bag.
It says once the money was counted and confirmed, the patron left the table with casino chips, but didn’t play at that time.
The AGCO says that even though the casino had previously deemed that player to be “high risk,” it didn’t notify the commission or onsite police of the transaction, as is required.
It says the casino also failed to take “meaningful steps” to check and corroborate the patron’s source of funds, which is required under anti-money-laundering rules.