Government Report Vindicates Fired Canadian Gambling Inspector

The problem with money being laundered through casinos in the Canadian province of British Columbia has been a constant since the beginning of the 2000’s. This issue became more prevalent recently when a gaming inspector was fired for being complicit in this crime, only to later be vindicated of any wrongdoing.

Gambling is a popular pastime both in British Columbia and Canada as a whole. Bingo games take place at game centers and lotteries are available. Also, sports wagering, online gambling, and horse racing can be enjoyed by Canadians.

There is a total of 16 casinos currently operating in British Columbia and the annual revenue generating from gambling as a whole in the province is more than $1 billion. Casinos represent a major portion of this revenue with $600 million of this amount being generated in this manner.

The inspector at the center of the present controversy had been working as a senior investigations director for Gaming and Policy Enforcement in British Colombia in addition to having amassed a total of 50 years total experience in law enforcement. This inspector began to get suspicious when he noticed a proliferation of unexplained $20 bills began to show up in Vancouver casinos in 2009. He also noticed the same thing happening with $100 bills in the rooms designated for high rollers.

The inspector learned through investigation that the bills were being moved through the casinos after being transported from other countries and many of them were found to be drug and gambling money from gangs in China and other Asian countries.

The subsequent questions posed by the inspector began to shed a light on many of the problems present with the agencies tasked with overseeing the gaming industry in the country of Canada. When the inspector pressed on with his questions and investigation, he, along with three others that took part in the investigation faced a sudden firing.

A subsequent government report concluded that no wrongdoing took place on the part of the inspector, or any member of his investigative team, and resulted in the arrest of a number of casino employees and gamers. The report highlighted several serious issues with the way casinos were operating and regulators enforced government policy. Many regulators were reassigned to other duties because of the problems cited in the report.

The issue also has led to a group of law enforcement personnel joining forces to combat the problem of money being laundered through casinos in the country.

This new police task force has already made arrests of several individuals that traveled from Asia with the intent of washing money through Canadian Casinos. Also, several dealers have been arrested for various violations including the allowance of individuals to bring money into high roller rooms that had not been counted by the casino, and for allowing players in high roller rooms to exchange monies for different quantities and denominations.

For the inspector at the center of this controversy, despite being proven to be innocent of any proposed violations, a return to work has not been offered.