River Rock Casino patron fails in bid to have B.C. judge remove lottery corp.'s restrictions
A River Rock Casino patron's attempt to overturn restrictions imposed by the B.C. Lottery Corp. due to suspected money laundering was dismissed by a judge.Summary
A patron of the River Rock Casino in Richmond, Ali Ghotaymi, sought a judicial review of the B.C. Lottery Corp.'s (BCLC) decision to place him under conditions requiring proof of funds for his cash buy-ins. Ghotaymi argued the restrictions unfairly stigmatized him as a money launderer. The BCLC implemented these measures following a public inquiry revealing widespread money laundering in B.C. casinos, particularly before 2015, where billions of dollars in cash transactions occurred. While Ghotaymi’s individual buy-ins were often just under the $10,000 reporting threshold, his frequent large cash transactions raised concerns. Justice Matthew Kirchner ultimately ruled in favor of the BCLC, stating that the conditions were reasonable given the history of money laundering and the need to prevent it, even if it meant some legitimate gamblers were inconvenienced. The judge noted that the conditions didn’t prevent Ghotaymi from gambling using other methods and that the list of those under conditions isn’t public.
(Source：The Province)