Article content continued

Desmarais requested a mid-November 2014 conference call with Great Canadian executives, documents say, and Walter Soo explained that the gambler was from China, was in Canada on a 10-year visitor visa, and had significant assets including real estate in Vancouver.

It was agreed that Soo should arrange a meeting with this gambler to convey concerns about his personal safety given his carrying large amounts of cash.

If the gambler attempted another massive chip purchase with small bills dropped off for him at River Rock, BCLC would attempt to contact him directly to tell him he must use his patron gaming fund, according to a record of the discussion. Patron gaming funds are non-cash accounts that BCLC asks high-rollers to use for safety reasons, and as an anti-money-laundering measure.

Desmarais also conveyed that this gambler and his associates had to be made to understand that they must stop using cash and un-sourced chips provided to them by a network of suspicious associates, documents say.

BCLC anti-money-laundering staff had already met River Rock managers in October 2014 to discuss concerns about a number of VIP gamblers who were funding their gambling with cash-drops from suspected criminals, documents say. These VIPs were also known to be using patron gaming funds for large chip buy-ins, meeting documents say.

It was noted with concern that the gambler connected to the $645,000 cash buy-in at River Rock had previously been using a patron gaming fund.