Rideau Carleton Raceway casino hit with more than $200K in fines

The operators of the Rideau Carleton Raceway's casino havebeen fined more than $200,000by Ontario's liquor and gaming regulator for a smattering of alleged violations that include failing to properly address the risk of money laundering.

In a statement Wednesday, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)said it had identified 36 violations committed by HR Ottawa LP better known as Hard Rock Ottawa during an audit of the rural southOttawa casino.

According to the AGCO, the three dozen violations included:

• Failing repeatedly to implement, follow and enforce mandatory anti-money laundering policies and procedures.
• Not making sure staff had completed necessary training around those policies.
• Failing to sufficiently protect gaming systems and data from security vulnerabilities.
• Providing advertising and marketing materials to people who had "self-excluded" from gambling activities.
• Running a "compliance oversight function" that was not independent of the company's operations.
• Failing to address concerns raised by internal auditors in a timely manner.

As a result, Hard Rock Ottawa was fined $227,250 for the alleged breaches, the AGCO said.

Any casino operator served with such a fine can appeal it to the independent Licence Appeal Tribunal.

Hard Rock took over day-to-day operations of the raceway casino in 2017.