The computer glitches that compromised account details for a reported 134 accounts at the recently launched Canadian online casino PlayNow.com was an embarrassing malfunction in itself. PlayNow.com was to be the first legal online casino in any North American Jurisdiction, but its launch proved a sad day for legal gambling advocates. But restoring the player winnings that went missing during the website’s shutdown turns out to be one of its lesser financial concerns after a financial watchdog investigation.
To make matters worse, BC Lottery Corp also incurred a fine of CA$670.000 (~R4,7 million). After the crash, the privacy commissioner probed the company and discovered around 1,200 suspicious cash transactions that were not properly reported. To prevent being used for money laundering operations, the casino must request the gambler’s ID and have the appropriate paperwork filled out for all transactions beyond a threshold of CA$10.000, and all suspicious transactions must be reported to FINTRAC, the Canadian Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre. Apparently BC Lottery Corp had been lax in living up to these rules.
What was supposed to be the launch of a landmark casino has, over the past two weeks, developed into a costly landmark embarrassment. Again, this is why it’s important to only visit tried and tested, reliable online casinos.
