Casino Woodbine Fined $80K for Failing to Police Dealer Collusion

Posted on: September 15, 2023, 07:51h. 

Last updated on: September 15, 2023, 02:39h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More

Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

Ontario gaming regulators have fined Canada’s largest casino, Toronto’s Casino Woodbine, C$80K (US$60K) in the wake of an alleged dealer-collusion cheating scheme.

Five people were arrested in April in connection with the scheme, including Arthur Segovia, 52, of Etobicoke, an electronic craps dealer. He allegedly colluded on craps games with Khalil Evans, 29, Donovan Smyth-Todd, 30, Daniel Hatton, 25, and Andrew Gayle-Bourne, 33.

All have been charged with cheating at play, theft over $5,000, and fraud over $5,000 by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). Segovia is facing an additional charge of criminal breach of trust.  

AGCO’s Investigation and Enforcement Bureau was contacted on Oct. 19, 2022, regarding allegations of collusion at the casino.  

Toronto’s Casino Woodbine was recently renamed the Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto.

Compliance Failures

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) said in a statement this week that Casino Woodbine had “failed to follow required rules and procedures and lacked effective supervision” in relation to the incident. It had also “failed to detect or take appropriate action on available information to prevent the cheat-at-play and dealer collusion scheme.”

An in-depth compliance review by AGCO concluded that the casino had neglected to properly investigate financial reports and emails showing atypical losses from the electronic craps game over six months.

Meanwhile, the report noted that table games supervisors and pit bosses were often absent from the area when suspicious activity was occurring.

Moreover, Segovia was permitted to continue dealing despite the casino issuing him seven violations for  “inappropriately pushing dice to patrons before closing bets.”

Canada’s Biggest Casino 

“We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of security, integrity, and fairness in all aspects of our operations,” said operator Great Canadian Entertainment in a statement. “We take any breach of trust within our organization seriously and fully supported the investigation undertaken by the AGCO and the OPP.”

The operator added that electronic craps were removed from the casino in November 2022 after Segovia was fired.  The regulator said it would continue monitoring the casino to ensure it addresses its compliance issues.

The Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto opened its doors in June, supplanting the original casino at the Woodbine Racetrack. It is Canada’s largest casino, built at a reported cost of $1 billion.