This Wednesday, Ontario’s Finance Minister Charles Sousa asserted that the money laundering probe will not be a stumbling block in the eventual selection of a service provider, that is to take over the day-to-day operations of gambling venues in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Mr. Sousa asserted that Great Canadian Gaming Corporation is not under criminal investigation and the gambling operator will not be excluded from the list of competitors. According to reliable sources, Great Canadian leads the battle for the West GTA bundle.
Great Canadian Gaming Corp., the gambling company behind River Rock Casino Resort, entered casino bidding war for the operation of West GTA bundle in July this year. Only 2 months later, the gambling operator found itself at the heart of a serious controversy, after the newly-elected British Columbia government released a shelved casino report, alleging money laundering at Great Canadianās River Rock. Canadaās national financial watchdog was tasked with examining the report, which was hidden from the public for over a year by the former Liberal government.
The report claimed that River Rock accepted large amounts of money in neat bundles of $20 bills. The investigation is still underway, but Great Canadian Gaming appeared in the middle of a media firestorm. There have been multiple speculations regarding the case, which tarnished the companyās reputation. To protect its reputation, the company issued a statement, claiming that the company has always been fully committed to fighting criminal activities at B.C. casinos. Shortly after Great Canadian published its statement, OLG also issued a statement to confirm that the gambling operator is not under criminal investigation.
Great Canadian Gaming Leads the Competition for West GTA Bundle
This Tuesday, the media agency The Globe and Mail reported that the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has already launched a regulatory review that is to examine money laundering activity at B.C. casinos. Finance Minister Charles Sousa explained that this is a normal procedure and there is no reason to halt the takeover deal for the operation of the next group of gambling facilities, located to the west of Toronto.
Last year, Ontario Lottery Gaming Corp. (OLG) announced that it is to select a service provider for its West Gaming Bundle this fall. At this moment, OLG has shortlisted casino bidders that will be competing in the final stage of the bidding process. Great Canadian shared that the company is among the leading bidders in the list. Speaking of OLGās decision, Mr. Sousa explained that Great Canadian is a company that is efficiently operating in Canada. He added that it is not under investigation, which means that there is no reason to scratch its name off the list of potential companies to ink West GTA contract.
