During an audit of the casino venue, the AGCO identified 36 violations of the Standards for Gaming set by the AGCO registrar.
One of the violations involved the alleged provision of advertising and marketing materials to individuals who had self-excluded from gambling activities.
The AGCO also found that HR Ottawa repeatedly failed to implement, follow, and enforce required anti-money laundering policies and procedures.
Furthermore, HR Ottawa did not address concerns raised by internal auditors in a timely manner and failed to maintain an independent compliance oversight function.
HR Ottawa also did not adequately protect gaming systems and data from security vulnerabilities based on established industry and technology best practices.
The AGCO highlighted that staff at HR Ottawa did not complete necessary training in areas such as anti-money laundering policies and procedures.
The AGCO aims to ensure honesty, integrity, and the public interest in casino operations.
The penalties imposed on HR Ottawa are intended to drive the necessary improvements at the Rideau Carleton Casino.
The AGCO will carefully monitor the casino’s activities to ensure the significant audit findings are addressed.
HR Ottawa has the option to appeal against the findings to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario.
