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Casinos in Ontario Reported Suspicious Transactions worth $372 Million in 2022

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Last year, casinos in Ontario saw suspicious transactions of over $350 million. If the government wants to keep bad money out of its gaming establishments, critics say that this trend has to be urgently addressed.

This isn’t the only news regarding suspicion of gambling activity in the area. Following a joint investigation by the MGCB and Michigan Department of Attorney General, 50 gaming machines were seized from Flint’s Storefront Casino.

Ontario Casinos Report $372 Million in Suspicious Activity

According to records obtained by CTV News, suspicious transactions totaling $372 million were detected at casinos in Ontario in 2022. Despite being $38 million more than before the pandemic, this figure comes after years of lows of the pandemic.

Gaming regulators in the province stated that casino employees are rigorously reporting transactions of a questionable nature. 

OPP Investigation on Suspicious Activity

One guy, Branavan Kanapathipillai, made more than $4 million in gambling transactions over a period of years, according to information provided in an affidavit connected to an OPP investigation.

In July 2022, at Pickering Casino Resort, his big buy-in using cash prompted the casino workers to file reports on suspicious cash transactions and notify the police. According to an officer, he carried out 10 transactions totaling $824,700, with amounts ranging from $50k to $100k. It was unusual for a person to have such a big quantity of cash on hand, and its origin was unknown. Unsourced currency is a sign of suspected money laundering, according to the research. The document claims that the casino, as well as three other gambling establishments since 2016, took his money despite the warning signs.

Due to the disparity between Kanapathipillai’s profession and gambling activity, the surge in his gambling, and the increased volume of big cash transactions, the One Toronto Gaming Anti-Money Laundering Unit determined that he had engaged in suspicious activities.

When casino personnel alerted the authorities to Kanapathipillai’s effort to buy in with about $100,000 in cash at Niagara’s Fallsview Casino in November 2022, the OPP confiscated the money.

At a hearing of court to determine whether or not the seizure would be permanent, Kanapathipillai claimed to have informed investigators that he was using the money from another mortgage but failed to appear and make that assertion.

The submission of the reports in the instance of Kanapathipillai, according to gambling regulators in Ontario, is evidence that the technology set up to track questionable transactions using cash is effective and enables law officials to track the money.

According to the spokesperson for the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), Ontario is the only province with an integrated bureau of police that focuses on the laundering of money and associated investigations. In order to guarantee that gambling reporting is analyzed and information regarding possible laundering of money is recognized and looked into, the IEB closely collaborates with the OLG’s Anti-Money Laundering Team.

 

2 thoughts on “Casinos in Ontario Reported Suspicious Transactions worth $372 Million in 2022

  1. Any Hunter sightings?

  2. La familia!

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