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Cash rules tightened for B.C. casinos

Gamblers must report source for buy-ins of $10,000 and up
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B.C. is investigating possible money laundering in Lower Mainland casinos. (Black Press files)

New rules are in effect for B.C. casinos to keep track of high rollers.

Effective Wednesday, all cash, bank drafts and certified cheque buy-ins worth $10,000 or more have to be accompanied by a receipt showing the financial institution, branch number and account number the money came from. B.C. Lottery Corporation says the rule also applies to a series of transactions by any player totalling more than $10,000 over a 24-hour period.

An investigation is triggered if the player won’t provide the information or gives information that is “clearly suspicious,” BCLC said in a statement.

The new rule is in addition to the detailed identification casino staff collect on customers spending more than $10,000. It is one of the interim recommendations provided by Peter German, an expert on money laundering hired last year by B.C. Attorney General David Eby to review the security at B.C. casinos. An earlier review discovered several suspicious transactions, including $13.5 million in $20 bills accepted at the River Rock Casino in Richmond in 2015.

German, a lawyer and former deputy commissioner of the RCMP, is expected to submit his final report this spring.