Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard reads his budget speech, Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at the legislature in Quebec City. The Quebec government has introduced a regulation to ban people convicted of certain crimes from province-owned casinos. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
MONTREAL – The Quebec government intends to ban people convicted of certain crimes from province-owned casinos.
The new regulation bans people who have been convicted of or have pleaded guilty to crimes within the past five years that could affect the integrity of casinos or undermine public trust in them.
Those crimes include money laundering, forgery and charging interest at a criminal rate.
The regulation follows a 2021 audit into the use of casinos by members of organized criminal groups.
Finance minister Eric Girard ordered the audit after media reports about organized crime members who had allegedly received VIP treatment at the Casino de Montréal.
The regulation comes into effect in two weeks.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2023.