BC Police Arrest Four in Vancouver Casino Cheating Scheme

^{Around $330,000 in cash was recovered following the arrest of four people involved in a Vancouver casino crime. (Photo courtesy of CFSEU)}

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia announced on May 28 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, which is tasked with policing organized crime in B.C., the investigation began earlier this month.

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 presume the two men and two women were cheating at a Vancouver casino.

On May 5, the suspects were arrested in Vancouver and released a day later pending legal proceedings. Officers say they found approximately $330,000 in cash, which they believe 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.

According to IGCO General Manager Sam MacLeod, multiple agencies working together led to the quick arrest.

“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 Known Issues for Casinos

Officials didn’t 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 recover $880,000 that Tujie Lai had paid to the Canada Border Services Agency as a bond after the U.S. Border Patrol turned him over to Canadian authorities for illegally crossing the border. According to authorities, Lai was transferring millions of dollars through B.C. casinos in a pattern that officials said was “consistent with money laundering.”