Canada: BC casinos to shift away from cash transactions

Among the immediate changes are plans to allow customers to buy in using certified cheques and electronic fund transfers from "bona fide Canadian financial institutions." Payout wins between us$ 5,000 and us$ 10,000 would also be paid to customers by cheque.
"Ultimately, this strategy will have a layered approach offering a combination of convenience, incentives and requirements. This will isolate money laundering activity from legitimate gaming, enabling highly effective enforcement action," the statement said.

Other changes include increasing staff training around money laundering and working more closely with police agencies to track suspicious activity at BC casinos.

"A key objective is to transition toward greater use of electronic funds by making non-cash options more accessible and attractive to customers, while not discouraging legitimate play," said a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Safety last week.

The changes follow the release of documents obtained by CBC News earlier this year that revealed that us$ 8 million in unusual transactions were reported to gaming authorities between May and August 2010 at some Lower Mainland casinos.

The documents were obtained by CBC through a Freedom of Information request. Police said they believe the facilities are being targeted by organized crime groups looking to launder drug money.