WATCH: Did the winner of a lucrative casino deal owe it to Ontario to raise its hand over possible trouble? We asked the Finance Minister... pic.twitter.com/6N7TeEdTtG
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The politician in charge of gambling in Ontario says its too soon to entertain the idea of stepping away from the multi-billion dollar, 22-year casino contract that includes plans for expansion at Woodbine racetrack.
Finance Minister Charles Sousa calls it "a stretch" to suggest that the deal announced last August with Great Canadian Gaming deserves a second look, after a BC Attorney General's report was released a month later that implicated the company in a half-billion dollar money laundering scheme.
Allegations are that employees of Great Canadian's casino near Vancouver knowingly accepted suspicious cash transactions from gamblers who were banned by gaming authorities.
Sousa says it would be "totally inappropriate'' for a Minister in his position to intervene.
He adds Great Canadian was vetted by OLG, Ontario's gambling agency, and that he stands by their work.
"The Opposition are inferring criminality but that is not the case,'' Sousa says.
He stops short of saying that the company had an obligation to report the signs of possible trouble while it was in the midst of bidding on the casino business, which includes operations at Woodbine, slots at Ajax Downs and the Great Blue Heron Casino in the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.
Great Canadian already operates horse racing tracks in Ontario.
Progressive-Conservative Finance Critic Vic Fedeli called in the Legislature on Monday for the company's newest agreement to be put on hold, pending an investigation.
The BC government is in the early stages of an independent review of anti-money laundering measures after red flags were raised about the possibility of money laundering happening at Great Canadian's River Rock Casino, outside Vancouver.
Premier Kathleen Wynne says Ontario and its gambling regulators are watching for any developments in British Columbia.
"I think it raises questions, which is why the Minister has spoken with OLG and we will be paying very close attention to it,'' she said.
She stops short of saying the reports from BC are 'concerning.'
Great Canadian Gaming has insisted from the outset that it follows all of Canada's rules on finance and fighting money laundering.
In a written statement, the company says it works to make sure that it follows all regulations and procedures at all of the gaming facilities it operates.
"Contrary to suggestions otherwise, to our knowledge our company is not under investigation in any jurisdiction,'' chief operating officer Terrance Doyle says.
"Our employees followed all procedures required of them by BC Lottery Corporation, none of our employees are facing charges, nor we do not believe our company's actions would give cause to initiate any investigation.''
BC's top prosecutor went looking for answers after learning about reports of the Vancouver-area casino accepting $13.5 million worth of $20 bills in July of 2015.
Police had said the cash could have flowed through high-roller gamblers from Asia and the source was possibly the proceeds of crime.
OLG and investigators with Ontario's gambling regulator, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, say they didn't find out about the allegations surrounding Great Canadian until a month after the announcement that the company signed its new deal in Ontario.