Why consider a Gaming Compliance certification?

Creating a culture of gaming compliance through a uniform approach to role training

There have been a number of high profile events in recent years involving the casino gaming industry. Those in Australia and Canada, to name just two, centered around compliance failures by casino operators when it came to their operations.

The number one element of a compliance program is the “tone from the top” - the C-Suite’s commitment to compliance - that sets the tone for what is, and what isn’t, acceptable behavior. In the case of Crown Resorts in Australia, this led to CEOs resignation.

It should be noted that the casino gaming environment is unlike any other.

Unlike financial institutions whose AML and Regulatory Compliance functions are often consolidated within back office non-customer facing functions, there are a greater number of casino employees - at a wide range of levels and positions - involved in preventing and detecting suspicious activity and crime.

Consider;

• Cage staff accepting funds and handling requests for disbursement

• Table dealers interacting with customers and handling table buy-ins

• Floor security personnel observing customer(s) behavior

• Surveillance staff observing customer(s) behavior through the “eye in the sky” and monitoring automatic activity alerts

• A casino’s own AML or Financial Crime Unit monitoring customer transactions and activity

Each of these roles has the potential to identify suspicious activity and be the author of a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) or Suspicious Transaction Report (STR). But it should be noted that each role is only one element of a wider casino compliance ecosystem. A siloed approach to casino compliance is doomed to failure and missed opportunity - potentially leaving risky activity “on the table”.

It is important that AML training is tailored to each role - the Board of Directors requires different AML training that the AML Unit for example - but there is also a need for training to demonstrate the interconnected nature of each role. That why the Certified Gaming Compliance Specialist was designed to provide knowledge and awareness of each role, and provide casino staff with an understanding of where they fit within the casino ecosystem.