BC Police Arrest Four in Vancouver Casino Cheating Scheme

^{$330,000 in cash was recovered by police in Vancouver from a recent casino crime. (Photo courtesy of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit – British Columbia)}

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia announced Thursday that it had arrested four individuals in connection with a cheating plot that had taken casinos in the province for more than $200,000.

According to the unit tasked with policing organized crime in B.C., the investigation began earlier this month, on May 4.

IGCO Detection Leads to Quick Arrest

The Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO), which regulates gambling in the province, alerted investigators to the four suspects on May 4 after the regulator came to suspect the two men and two women were cheating at a Vancouver casino.

On May 5, the suspects were arrested in Vancouver and released the following day pending legal proceedings. Officers say they found approximately $330,000 in cash, believed to be the proceeds of crime.

Authorities say they are pursuing a variety of charges against the group, including cheating at play, uttering forged documents/impersonation, and possession of proceeds obtained by crime.

“This investigation highlights the strong working relationship between the Independent Gambling Control Office and CFSEU-BC’s Joint Illegal Gaming Investigation Team in identifying activity, apprehending suspects, and recovering illicit proceeds connected to organized gambling-related crime,” Staff Sgt. Alvin Ng said in a statement.

IGCO General Manager Sam MacLeod credited the quick arrest to coordination among multiple agencies.

“Early detection, real-time monitoring, effective information sharing, and coordinated action between IGCO investigators and our policing partners enabled a rapid response that led to arrests and the recovery of suspected proceeds,” MacLeod said in a statement. “We will continue to support police in addressing organized criminal activity targeting B.C.’s gambling sector.”

Money Laundering, Organized Crime are Known Issues for BC Casinos

Officials have yet to release the names of the suspects or identify the casinos involved in the scheme, and said that no further details are being revealed at this time due to the active nature of the investigation.

Authorities in British Columbia have experience dealing with organized crime in relation to casinos in the province. In 2018, an independent report found that B.C. casinos had been inadvertently acting as money laundering venues for organized crime, with more than $100 million from illegal drug trafficking having flowed through the River Rock Casino in Richmond and other resorts.

In 2024, the B.C. government sued to keep $880,000 that had been paid to the Canada Border Services Agency by Tujie Lai as a bond after the US Border Patrol handed him over to Canadian authorities for illegally crossing the border between the countries. According to authorities, Lai was transferring millions of dollars through B.C. casinos in a pattern that officials said was “consistent with money laundering.”

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