B.C. gambler must continue proving source of cash at casinos, judge rules

The River Rock Casino in Richmond, B.C., is seen in an undated image.

A B.C. man has lost a petition to have himself removed from a program designed to combat money laundering at casinos in the province.

Ali Ghotaymi sought a judicial review of a decision by the B.C. Lottery Corporation to place him on “sourced cash conditions,” which require him to prove where his money came from before he’s allowed to gamble.

A B.C. Supreme Court judged rejected his bid in a Jan. 16 decision, finding it is “very reasonable for BCLC to operate in a risk averse way when it comes to possible money laundering.”

The lottery corporation imposes sourced cash conditions when gamblers make buy-ins of $10,000 or more in cash. They are required to provide bank account information, and evidence that the cash was withdrawn from that account.

The measure was adopted in 2015, amid growing concerns about money laundering in casinos.

The Cullen Commission that was struck to investigate the scope of the problem, led by former B.C. Supreme Court Justice Austin Cullen, later revealed nearly $1.2 billion in cash transactions of $10,000 or more had flowed through the province’s casinos in 2014 alone.

Ghotaymi was flagged after he made 29 “large cash transactions” between February 2019 and July 2021, according to the decision.

The court heard 11 of those transactions were just shy of the limit, at $9,000, including two $9,000 buy-ins at two different casinos in less than two hours. The BCLC also noted that Ghotaymi was employed by Canada Post, which would not suggest a large disposable income, or payment in cash.

The lottery corporation acknowledged that while Ghotaymi’s pattern of cash buy-ins raised concerns, it did not find that he was actually involved in any money laundering activity.

Ghotaymi told the court if he has a winning night, he keeps $9,000 for his next visit to the casino, and deposits the rest. He said nine is a lucky number, and that he was not trying to avoid triggering sourced cash conditions.

He argued the decision stigmatizes him as a suspected money-launderer, which could have profound impacts on his life, including his ability to get a job.

Justice Matthew Kirchner dismissed that argument, stating that: “The list of patrons who are placed on sourced cash conditions is not made public, and there is no evidence that a prospective employer, for example, would learn of this through a job application.”

He also noted that nothing is stopping Ghotaymi from visiting casinos, or gambling with cash, he “simply needs to document the source of that cash with bank receipts.”

As of April 2025, there were about 2,400 gamblers on sourced cash conditions.