British Columbia is preparing for the long-anticipated public inquiry into money laundering while leading figures in the gaming world are making their exit. Great Canadian Gaming Corporation financial filings revealed that Walter Soo is no longer Vice-President of Player and Gaming Development.
Meanwhile, Patrick Ennis also made his exit putting an end to his executive role within the structure of the casino operator. This fall was eyed as the period that would reveal more about the criminal practices across British Columbia and the lax regulations that have enabled it.
Understanding the source of this controversial practice could eliminate money laundering in the future, a goal that millions of Canadians are willing to achieve with their own contribution of information. Ahead of the official launch of this public inquiry, leading individuals in the gaming industry were quick to make their exit.
Public Inquiry Incoming
Great Canadian Gaming is among the leading casino operators on a national level. Seeking expansion and improvement down the road, this corporation has been on the pursuit of new projects and exploring new areas of the provinces.
However, the upcoming public inquiry in British Columbia might affect it in a negative way. Recently issued financial filing revealed that two well-known names have filed their resignation letters as of recently. Vice-President of Player and Gaming Development Walter Soo is no longer part of Great Canadian Gamingās structure.
In addition to that, Patrick Ennis would also no longer have an executive role within the casino operator. It could be recalled that he used to be a Vice-President of Corporate Security and Compliance. For the time being, the casino operator has not revealed the reasons behind these resignations of leading management members.
Great Canadian Gaming is a British Columbia-based company that would play a crucial role in the upcoming public inquiry, aiming to reveal more about criminal practices within the local gaming field. River Rock Casino in Richmond has been linked to years of money laundering practice.
Executives Make their Exit
Suspicious transactions amounting to millions of Canadian dollars have taken place for years on end at the premium casino venue. High rollers often hailing from Mainland China were drawn by the VIP table games placed at the special areas of the casino venue that give them privacy and the opportunity to wash dirty cash. In this sense, Mr. Soo was the individual that paved the way for VIP expansion on site of the casino venue.
Back in 1983, he entered the staff as a dealer, gradually climbing the ladder and introducing special zone for high rollers. Throughout the years, the British Columbia Gaming Enforcement Branch has launched several audits and investigations related to this very VIP zone. Meanwhile, as many as 16 organizations received green light for participation in the inquiry.
Some of them are no other than British Columbia Lottery Corporation, British Columbia Ministry of Finance, the Federal government, as well as Canadian Gaming Association, Law Society of British Columbia, as well as the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association. As for the individuals participating in the inquiry, some of them would be Ross Alderson, BCLCās former Director of Anti-Money Laundering and Brad Desmarais, Vice President of Casino and Community Gaming at BCLC.
