The Registrar of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has served Ontario Gaming GTA Limited Partnership (“Casino Woodbine”) with notice of a Monetary Penalty totaling $80,000, following allegations of a cheat-at-play and dealer collusion scheme at Toronto’s Woodbine Casino.

In April 2023, the Ontario Provincial Police Investigation and Enforcement Bureau (IEB), embedded within the AGCO, laid charges against five individuals. The charges follow an investigation into allegations that an electronic craps dealer at Woodbine Casino was in collusion with these patrons.

The AGCO’s Regulatory Compliance Branch subsequently conducted an in-depth compliance review to assess Casino Woodbine’s adherence to the Gaming Control Act, 1992 (the Act) and Registrar’s Standards for Gaming. The Registrar found that Casino Woodbine failed to detect or take appropriate action on available information to prevent the cheat-at-play and dealer collusion scheme, including:

• internal financial reports and emails indicating substantial and atypical losses from the electronic craps game over a six-month period of time, which were not effectively acted upon;
• table games supervisors were often absent from the craps table when suspicious gambling activities occurred;
• video surveillance recordings showing that the electronic craps game failed to follow required rules and procedures and lacked effective supervision;
• although Casino Woodbine had issued the dealer with seven procedural violations for inappropriately pushing dice to patrons before closing bets, the dealer was allowed to continue dealing electronic craps during that time.

Casino Woodbine fully cooperated with the AGCO’s regulatory review and has committed to addressing deficiencies.

Ontario’s gaming laws require casino operators to implement effective controls to limit the risk of criminal activity, including cheating and collusion between patrons and casino staff. In addition to these penalties, the AGCO will continue monitoring to ensure Casino Woodbine appropriately addresses their controls to better detect and prevent casino cheats and dealer collusion.

A casino operator served with a Notice of an issued Monetary Penalty by the AGCO has the right to appeal the Registrar’s action to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), which is an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario.

Additional Information

The Registrar issued a Monetary Penalty for multiple alleged violations of the Act, which arise from non-compliance with the Registrar’s Standards for Gaming:

• Standard 4.3, paragraph 2, requiring operators to have adequate supervision in place to ensure adherence to required procedures, including rules of play.
• Standard 4.14, requiring that operators have mechanisms in place to deter, prevent and detect collusion and cheating;
• Standard 6.1 paragraph 1, requiring that operators conduct risk assessments to determine the potential for unlawful activities, including money laundering, fraud, theft and cheat at plays.

Century Casinos Inc. announced that it completed the sale of the real estate assets of Century Casino & Hotel Edmonton, Century Casino St. Albert and Century Mile Racetrack and Casino in Edmonton, Alberta and Century Downs Racetrack and Casino in Calgary, Alberta (collectively, the Century Canadian Portfolio) to subsidiaries of VICI Properties Inc. for an aggregate purchase price of CAD 221.7 million (USD 162.4 million) in cash. The Company retained approximately CAD 154.5 million (USD 113.2 million) of the purchase price after giving effect to the purchase of the Century Downs land, selling expenses, Canadian and US taxes and proceeds to be paid to the minority owners of Century Downs.

Simultaneous with the closing of the transaction, the Century Canadian Portfolio was added to the existing triple-net master lease agreement between subsidiaries of VICI and subsidiaries of the Company (Master Lease) and annual rent will increase by CAD 17.3 million (USD 12.7 million). The annual rent escalator related to the Century Canadian Portfolio is capped at 2.5%. Additionally, the term of the Master Lease will be extended such that, upon closing of the transaction, the lease will have a full 15-year initial base lease term, with four 5-year renewal options.

“We are pleased to extend our good partnership with VICI to our Canada portfolio. This transaction provides us with the ability to pay down our debt and with greater financial flexibility as we continue to grow,” Erwin Haitzmann and Peter Hoetzinger, Co-Chief Executive Officers of Century Casinos, said.

Stifel acted as exclusive financial advisor to the Company, and Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP and Field LLP acted as legal counsel to the Company in connection with the transaction.

Entries earned by playing Super Bingo tournaments now until June of 2024

Home to downtown Las Vegas’ only bingo room, the Plaza Hotel & Casino is introducing a $20,000 Super Bingo Giveaway.

To qualify for the $20,000 Super Bingo Giveaway, players receive ten drawing tickets for every Super Bingo two-day tournament played from now until June of 2024.

Upcoming tournament dates in 2023 are: September 11 to 13, October 9 to 11 and November 27 to 29. And in 2024: January 5 to 7, February 5 to 7, March 4 to 6, April 8 to 10 and May 6 to 8. The giveaway drawing will occur during intermission on day two of the Super Bingo tournament on June 5, 2024. Players must be present to win. Ten prizes will be awarded with a first prize of $10,000. All prizes will be paid in cash.

In addition, players who play three or more Super Bingo tournaments from now through May of 2024 will receive free registration for the June of 2024 event.

Held in the Plaza Hotel & Casino’s ballroom, Super Bingo draws nearly 1,000 people from across the country and as far away as Hawaii and Canada for the opportunity to win big playing fun-filled games of bingo over two days, with a $50,000 super coverall both days while socializing with like-minded bingo players.

Bingo-only registration is $160 per person. Hotel and bingo packages start at $300 for a four-night stay with no resort fee. Registration is available online at https:// PlazaHotelCasino .com/bingo/super-bingo-registration/.

All Super Bingo players receive one six-on paper pack for both days, two daubers, free drinks via an open bar at all sessions, boxed lunch both days and $10 in free slot play after the first day’s session.

The Plaza Hotel & Casino’s bingo room offers six daily bingo sessions at 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm and 9pm and is located two floors above the main casino. By parking on the third floor of the Plaza Hotel & Casino’s self-parking garage, guests have convenient and direct access to the Plaza Hotel & Casino’s bingo room.