Woodbine Gambling Facility Slapped with $80K AGCO Penalty
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario imposed an $80,000 fine on Casino Woodbine, following allegations of a cheat-at-play and dealer collusion scheme" at the Rexdale betting facility.
Located in Toronto's west end, the casino now known as the Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto is accused of employing an electronic craps dealer who allegedly colluded with five patrons of the casino.
AGCO Investigation Reveals Internal Failures
A subsequent investigation by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) compliance branch revealed that the casino failed to detect or respond appropriately to available information, thus allowing the fraud to occur.
As alleged by the AGCO, Woodbine Casino failed to alert authorities to internal financial reports and emails outlining significant and unusual losses in the electronic craps game. They also didn’t ensure the presence of table games supervisors at the craps table during the suspicious gambling activities.
Lastly, the operator didn’t dismiss an electronic craps dealer with seven prior procedural violations. During employment, the dealer allegedly manipulated dice for patrons before closing bets.
In its official release, the AGCO stated that charges were filed against the five individuals involved in April. The dealer, Arthur Segovia, a 52-year-old resident of Etobicoke, Ontario, faced charges of criminal breach of trust, cheating at play, theft exceeding $5,000, and fraud exceeding $5,000.
The other four individuals included in the casino scam, namely Khalil Evans (29), Donovan Smyth-Todd (30), Daniel Hatton (25), and Andrew Gayle-Bourne (33) were charged with theft and fraud exceeding $5,000, in addition to cheating at play.
The AGCO further stated that Woodbine Casino has actively collaborated with its audit and intends to rectify the shortcomings.
Operator’s Response
In its response to AGCO’s ruling, Great Canadian Entertainment confirmed the permanent removal of the implicated game from Woodbine's casino floor in November 2022. Additionally, the company mentioned that the implicated employee has been terminated.
“We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of security, integrity, and fairness in all aspects of our operations.We take any breach of trust within our organization seriously and fully supported the investigation undertaken by the AGCO and the OPP. As part of our remediation, the game in question was permanently removed from the casino floor in November 2022, and the employee in question was terminated.” said a statement from Great Canadian Entertainment.
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