Just over a week after the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) fined Great Canadian Entertainment (GCE) for allegedly using unauthorized gaming system software, the regulator has ordered an even larger punishment for other offences at an Ontario casino.
The AGCO announced on Tuesday it intends to hit the casino operator with monetary penalties totalling $170,000 for allegedly failing to adequately identify high-risk patrons, monitor player transactions, report suspicious activity, or file suspicious transaction reports.
The alleged violations occurred at Pickering Casino Resort in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), one of a dozen casino facilities that Great Canadian Entertainment operates in Ontario.
‘Potentially money laundering indicators’
The regulator added that it believes Great Canadian overlooked “potential money laundering indicators” at the Ontario casino.
According to the AGCO, a compliance audit of Pickering Casino Resort identified several failures. Great Canadian Entertainment allegedly violated the AGCO’s casino standards by not having sufficient mechanisms in place to:
- Conduct adequate risk assessments
- Appropriately monitor and analyze player transactions for possible unlawful activity
- Identify and prevent suspected money laundering
“The AGCO requires casino operators to take a proactive approach to identifying and reporting suspicious activity,” said AGCO CEO Dr. Karin Schnarr. “When high-risk behaviour is not properly monitored or reported, it weakens important safeguards that protect the integrity of Ontario’s gaming sector.”
Great Canadian Entertainment can appeal the fine within 15 days to the independent Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT).
The company’s Executive Vice President of External Relations and Business Development, Chuck Keeling, told Canadian Gaming Business that the operator accepts the findings of the audit.
Two fines in quick succession
The notice of a proposed $170,000 fine comes just nine days after the AGCO fined the same casino company $120,000 for allegedly using revoked or unapproved bill validator software in 40 instances last year.
The regulator said on June 29 that between Feb. 20 and March 15, 2025, Great Canadian used the unauthorized software in various instances across four Ontario casino locations.
In similar fashion to its response to the Pickering-related fine, Keeling told Canadian Gaming Business that the operator respects the AGCO’s decision related to the tech infringements and that it implemented additional safeguards to prevent a similar thing from happening again.
Great Canadian fined almost $1M since April 2025
The AGCO has fined the company or its individual casinos on numerous other occasions, including:
- A $120,000 penalty against Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto in April 2025 for allegedly failing to detect cheating and dealer collusion by two table games dealers.
- A $151,000 fine in May 2025 for allegedly allowing minors to gamble in-person in four separate incidents across three Ontario casinos.
- A $350,000 fine of Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto in June 2025 after an electronic dance music (EDM) event at the resort in September 2024 ended in alleged assaults, overdoses, and an after-party on the casino floor.
