The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) ordered $170,000 in penalties against Great Canadian Entertainment (GCE) on July 7 for failing to properly identify, monitor, and report high-risk patrons at Pickering Casino Resort, including cases showing potential money laundering indicators.
The order lands eight days after a separate $120,000 AGCO penalty tied to unauthorized casino software, the same regulator that also oversees Ontario online casinos and licenses new operators entering the province.
What the AGCO's Audit Found
An AGCO compliance audit of Pickering Casino Resort found that GCE failed to properly assess and track high-risk patrons who should have faced enhanced scrutiny. The review also determined that required Suspicious Transaction Reports were not filed in a number of cases where patrons displayed potential money laundering indicators. The AGCO cited GCE for violating two sections of its gaming standards: Section 6.1, for inadequate risk assessments and transaction monitoring, and Section 6.3, for lacking risk-based escalation procedures for suspected money laundering activity.
"The AGCO requires casino operators to take a proactive approach to identifying and reporting suspicious activity," said Dr. Karin Schnarr, the AGCO's Registrar and Chief Executive Officer. "When high-risk behaviour is not properly monitored or reported, it weakens important safeguards that protect the integrity of Ontario's gaming sector."
A Second Penalty Eight Days Earlier
On June 29, the AGCO fined GCE $120,000 after finding 40 instances of revoked or unapproved bill validator software installed across four Ontario casino sites between February 20 and March 15, 2025. Bill validators process cash inside gaming machines and support anti-money laundering controls, connecting both penalties to the same underlying compliance area. Combined, GCE faces $290,000 in AGCO penalties across the two orders.
What Happens Next
GCE has 15 days from each order to appeal to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, an adjudicative body under Tribunals Ontario that operates independently of the AGCO. The rulings apply specifically to Pickering Casino Resort and the four sites named in the software order; the AGCO's standards apply the same way across new Ontario casinos as they open, whether land-based or online.
