Casino/Shutterstock
British Columbia's attorney general has released an independent report saying the province's casinos unknowingly served as money-laundering outlets for organized crime.
David Eby commissioned the report after he reviewed a study that concluded a Vancouver-area casino accepted $13.5 million in $20 bills over a one-month period in 2015.
He tasked former RCMP deputy commissioner Peter German to conduct a review and write a report, which says the failure of the anti-money laundering system brought the gaming industry into disrepute.
The 247-page report, called "Dirty Money," tracks how cash from illicit means moved from casinos and into the province's economy.
German says the amount of suspicious money entering casinos since a high point in 2015 has been greatly reduced due to police and gaming industry actions, but the prevention measures must continue to ensure the problem does not resurface.
Eby launched an investigation after the government's gaming enforcement branch showed him surveillance video of gamblers walking into casinos with suitcases and a hockey bag full of millions of dollars in $20 bills.
