Supporters of all three of the province’s main political parties are in favour of this idea.
Vancouver, BC [June 20, 2018] – A sizeable majority of British Columbians are in favour of establishing a commission to look into the issue of money laundering in the province’s casinos, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative sample of British Columbians, three-in-four residents (76%) think the provincial government should “definitely” or “probably” call a public inquiry into money laundering in casinos.
Last year, a report produced by accounting firm MNP LLP, found several irregularities at the River Rock Casino in Richmond, including the acceptance of “single cash buy-ins in excess of $500,000, with no known source of funds.”
Support for this public inquiry is high across all demographics, including 83% of British Columbians who voted for the BC Green Party in last year’s provincial election, 78% of those who supported the BC New Democratic Party (NDP) and 69% of those who cast a ballot for the BC Liberals.
Almost half of British Columbians (48%) say they have followed stories related to money laundering in the province’s casinos “very closely” or “moderately closely.”
Two measures recently implemented in an effort to curb money laundering in British Columbia’s casinos are endorsed by most residents.
Two thirds of British Columbians (68%) support banning ”high limit” table gambling, where bets are higher than $10,000. An even larger proportion of residents (86%) favour declaring the source of any cash deposits over $10,000 at casinos.
“British Columbians welcome the first modifications to the way casinos operate in the province,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “However, the high level of support for a public inquiry into money laundering outlines a sense of embarrassment from residents and the expectation that a similar situation does not happen again.”
Three-in-five British Columbians (62%) think pending gambling developments should be postponed so that more research can be conducted on their benefits and drawbacks.
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from May 27 to May 29, 2018, among 800 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our full data set here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca
Credit: GoToVan