Ottawa’s casino operator Hard Rock has been fined CAD$227,250 (€172,769) for multiple licensing violations including sending promotional material to gamblers who had placed themselves on the company’s self-exclusion list.
Hard Rock allegedly sent promotional material to self-excluding problem gamblers
An audit carried out by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) found that Hard Rock’s Rideau Carlton Casino had committed 36 violations of its licensing conditions. The casino is alleged to have knowingly targeted self-excluding problem gamblers with promotional material enticing them to return to the casino. Other violations included a failure to sufficiently train staff on important issues including implementing anti-money laundering protocols and how to deal with suspected criminal activity.
According to the ACGO’s audit, the company also “failed to sufficiently protect gaming systems and data from security vulnerabilities.”
In a statement issued via the AGCO website, Tom Mungham, AGCO’s chief executive officer and registrar said:
“The AGCO has the mandate and the responsibility to ensure casinos are operating with honesty, integrity, and in the public interest. These penalties are intended to drive the improvements needed at the Rideau Carleton Casino, and we will be carefully monitoring the casino’s activities to ensure these significant audit findings are addressed.”
Helen MacMillan, general manager of the Rideau Carleton Casino, stated that the company is taking the necessary steps to resolve the highlighted issues. In a statement, she said:
“We have been in regular communication with the AGCO and have been working actively and definitively to address all issues. The majority of issues related to the audit have been aggressively corrected, including and not limited to, change in personnel. We will continue to improve and address any and all regulatory issues to ensure full compliance moving forward.”
Hard Rock Casino Ottawa took over the day-to-day operations of the Rideau Carleton Casino in 2017. The company has until 3rd of August to file an appeal in the case to the province’s Licence Appeal Tribunal.
Image credit: Vince Alongi / CC BY 2.0
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