Published on: February 8, 2026, 03:17h.

Updated on: February 8, 2026, 03:17h.

• B.C. individual challenges BCLC in court to lift casino restriction
• BCLC’s ‘sourced cash requirements’ stem from investigations into money laundering at B.C. casinos
• $9,000 cash buy-ins raised concerns, just below BCLC’s threshold

A resident of British Columbia has faced defeat in his endeavor to persuade the B.C. Supreme Court to remove him from a casino restriction list.

Ali Ghotaymi was subjected to the British Columbia Lottery Corporation’s (BCLC) “sourced cash conditions” initiated in 2015. This policy mandates casino patrons to verify the origin of cash used for buy-ins through documentation, including bank details and transaction histories.

Sourced Cash Conditions Overview

This restricted list targets individuals suspected of engaging in money laundering. BCLC applies these sourced cash conditions to cash buy-ins exceeding $10,000. As the provincial crown corporation, BCLC oversees the regulation and management of all commercial gambling activities, including casinos.

Ghotaymi’s cash buy-in patterns raised alarms leading to his placement on the sourced cash conditions list on July 8, 2021. The B.C. Supreme Court noted an incident report filed by River Rock Casino when he attempted a cash buy-in of $9,000, just shy of the $10,000 benchmark.

$141,655 in Net Gains

BCLC documentation reveals that Ghotaymi engaged in 29 significant cash transactions at B.C. casinos from February 2019 until July 2021. Notably, eleven of these buy-ins were for $9,000. Furthermore, on February 17, 2020, he made two separate $9,000 buy-ins at different casinos within a two-hour timeframe.

As a Canada Post employee, Ghotaymi expressed discontent with being flagged, claiming it unjustly branded him as a money launderer, hindering his chances for job security and employment. He contended that the lack of notice was unreasonable and subsequently challenged BCLC in court.

Ghotaymi stated he often carries $9,000 in cash, which he asserts comes from earlier winnings at the casino, attributing significance to the number nine. Over the period assessed, he netted $141,655 from the casino after accounting for his buy-ins. Therefore, he argued that his explanation for the $9,000 buy-in was valid.

Casino News: The Luck of Nine

However, due to the casino’s inability to confirm that cash buy-ins on any given day stem from prior winnings, BCLC continues to deem sourced cash conditions essential for substantial cash transactions,” wrote B.C. Supreme Court Justice Matthew Kirchner.

“In effect, if a patron under sourced cash conditions wishes to utilize funds won at the casino on a prior day, they must first deposit it into their bank account and then withdraw it again, establishing a verifiable transaction trail. This method enables BCLC to implement rigorous anti-money laundering practices similar to those used by accredited financial institutions.”

Cullen Commission Inquiry

The inception of the restricted list was prompted by a widespread money laundering scandal in B.C. casinos. In 2022, the Cullen Commission report brought to light the scale of this issue.

In 2014, B.C. casinos processed nearly $1.2 billion in cash transactions of $10,000 or more, which included 1,881 individual cash buy-ins exceeding $100,000—an average of over five per day. This report identified a direct correlation between organized crime and large cash transactions linked to money laundering in B.C. casinos.

Significant Public Concern Over Money Laundering

The Commission criticized BCLC for its inadequate response to money laundering issues.

The B.C. government enacted a new Gaming Control Act last year, set to take effect this April. This legislation will implement measures addressing recommendations from two significant investigations: the “Dirty Money” report conducted by Peter German in 2018 and the Cullen Commission inquiry. The new act includes the establishment of an independent gambling regulator, according to a statement from B.C.’s Public Safety and Solicitor General.

In the Ghotaymi case, Justice Matthew Kirchner remarked:

“I concur with BCLC that the decision pertains to establishing conditions on a consumer transaction related to gaming. It is administrative rather than adjudicative, regulating how Mr. Ghotaymi can participate in buy-ins at a casino … it does not determine whether Mr. Ghotaymi is engaged in money laundering or impose any penalties on him. It does not inhibit his gambling abilities or mandate financial disclosures since, like all casino patrons, he has alternative methods for buy-ins.”

The Casino Restriction List

Given the history of money laundering in British Columbia casinos and the significant public interest in curtailing this illegal and perilous activity, subjecting patrons who prefer to gamble with large cash amounts—regardless of original source—to sourced cash conditions seems not unreasonable.