The Ontario Provincial Police reports that it has responded to another call regarding a suspicious transaction at a casino. OPP explains a 26-year-old man from Mississauga will now face criminal charges after allegedly stealing cash from a casino in the Greater Toronto Area, and then travelling to another gaming establishment in Niagara Falls and trying to gamble the money.
However, the authorities did not provide the exact names of the gambling establishments where these incidents have occurred. They also did not share the name of the city in the GTA. Currently, there are gaming properties in Pickering, Ajax, and Toronto in the area. Meanwhile, Niagara Falls operates just two sites ā Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara.
Suspect Was Detained
In a press release from Thursday, February 1, 2024, OPP revealed that alleged the culprit, Gurvinder Singh stole an undisclosed amount of cash from a patron of an unnamed casino in the GTA and then travelled to Niagara Falls to try and use the funds in another gaming destination. The incident happened on January 19, 2024.
The OPPās Investigation and Enforcement Bureau, which is rooted within the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, responded to a call about a suspicious transaction and conducted an investigation. Then Mr. Singh was identified as the perpetrator and was detained. He was charged by the authorities in connection to the case on January 30, 2024.
According to the police, the culprit will now face several charges in court. This includes laundering proceeds of a crime, possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime over CA5,000 and theft over CA$5,000. He is scheduled to appear in St. Catharines’ courtroom on March 4, 2024. Police also urge if anyone knows more about the case, to contact them.
Fallsview Operator Fined by Ontario
Just recently, Niagara Fallsā Fallsview Casino Resort was involved in another money laundering controversy. This time the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario fined the operator of the property, Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, for failing to meet provincial protocols to minimize the risk of illegal activity, including money washing, at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporationās site.
The provincial gaming regulator revealed that in April 2023, a customer of Fallsview Casino Resort showed up CA$80,000 in strapped CA$100 bills from a reusable grocery bag. Camera footage from the gaming resort also confirms that after the money was counted, the patron left the table with casino chips without playing at that time.
In addition to that, despite previously marking the said player as a high risk, the gaming establishment failed to communicate this incident to the AGCO and on-site police as mandatory. Also, the casino operator failed to take any meaningful steps to determine and verify the clientās source of funds, which is obligatory by the anti-money laundering provision set out by the province.
Source: Tsekouras, Phil ā‘Suspicious’ transaction at Niagara Falls casino leads to money laundering charge: OPPā CTV News Toronto, February 1, 2024
