Bonnie Lysyk, Ontario’s Auditor General, released the annual report on Wednesday, 30 November, raising some concerns about the government’s financial performance. The report highlighted several areas in which the government lost money and could improve in the years to come.
The 1,000-page document was packed with 15 reports about various topics, such as COVID-19 contracts and vaccinations, environmental protections, auto insurance rates, and online casinos.
A Money Laundering Problem
News has emerged that Ontario’s provincial casinos cannot seem to stop money laundering with the resources they currently have. Casino executives were surprised by undercover operatives playing games and obtaining casino cheques with large amounts of cash, as well as no one checking where the money came from.
It is acknowledged that the Ontario government needs to do more to crack down on money laundering at the province’s casinos. Given the size of the problem, it is likely that measures will be taken in the near future to increase scrutiny of cash transactions and better ensure that casino cheques are not being used to launder money.