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Ontario’s casino regulator has penalized Great Canadian Entertainment (GCE) for the second time in less than two weeks, issuing a $170,000 fine over failures tied to anti‑money laundering reporting.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) said its audit of Pickering Casino Resort uncovered serious gaps in how the operator handled anti‑money laundering duties.
According to the regulator, GCE failed to properly identify and monitor high‑risk patrons and did not submit Suspicious Transaction Reports in cases where signs of possible money laundering were present.
The penalty comes only nine days after AGCO imposed a separate $120,000 fine on the company for using revoked or unapproved bill validator software across four Ontario casinos between February and March 2025.
“The AGCO requires casino operators to take a proactive approach to identifying and reporting suspicious activity. When high-risk behaviour is not properly monitored or reported, it weakens important safeguards that protect the integrity of Ontario’s gaming sector. The AGCO will continue to hold operators accountable to high standards of responsible operation,” Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the AGCO, stated in Tuesday’s release.
GCE failed to “conduct adequate risk assessments,” among others
The regulator stated that Ontario’s gaming rules require casinos to have strong systems in place to spot and respond to suspicious behaviour, including filing reports when money laundering is suspected.
These safeguards are meant to protect the integrity of the industry and keep public trust in regulated gaming. When operators fall short, those protections weaken and unlawful activity can slip through unnoticed.
At Pickering Casino Resort, regulators found that Great Canadian Entertainment did not meet those standards.
The company failed to carry out proper risk assessments and did not monitor or analyze player transactions in ways that could flag unlawful conduct, breaching section 6.1 of Ontario’s Standards.
AGCO also agreed that GCE did not put in place risk‑based policies or procedures that escalate checks on patrons showing signs of money laundering, a violation of section 6.3.
Because of these breaches, the regulator issued a monetary penalty. The company now has 15 days to appeal the fine to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, an independent body that reviews such cases outside of AGCO’s control.
Great Canadian Entertainment has now been fined close to $1 million since April 2025, even as it continues selling off several of its casinos to Petroglyph Development Group and Musqueam Capital, a partnership that has grown into Canada’s largest Indigenous‑owned casino operator by revenue.
