More than a dozen incidents of assault, threats and sexual harassment against casino workers – some involving high-profile VIP gamblers – went unreported at River Rock Casino, according to a report released by British Columbia's government today.

The report by Paladin Security found 17 unreported incidents and 32 reported incidents, including a VIP gambler throwing a chair, a drunk patron slapping another in the face and unwanted “footsie” from another VIP gambler. The report also found that casino managers were often not blowing the whistle to government regulators.

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“The most obvious concern for many interviewees is the belief that RRCR (River Rock Casino Resort) allows problematic behaviour from its VIP guests to occur at a level it would not allow from its non-VIP guests,” the report says.

A response from B.C.’s government regulator puts it more succinctly, quoting an employer who says of VIP gamblers: “Upstairs, they’re treated like gods to the casino.”

VIP players are allowed to swear, scream, yell, smoke in the bathrooms and throw objects at dealers, the report says, adding that some staff said managers encouraged them to allow a different standard of behaviour for non-VIP gamblers.

In one case, a drunk VIP patron was being helped into a taxi in 2017, the report says.

“(He or she) first slapped guest services in the face,” the report says. Then the patron slapped the valet as well. Guest Services allowed the player to remain in the hotel, where the patron passed out, the report says.

“Surveillance records indicate that former director of VIP guest relations may have encouraged (the staff member) not to pursue any reporting of the incident,” and instead “helped the suspect write a $2,000 cheque to one of the victims,” the report says.

The sway that high-limit gamblers have over the staff in the casino is undeniable because of the money they brought to the casinos, one casino insider told CTV News Vancouver.

“VIP players can do whatever they want,” the insider said. “They just allow it to happen.”

Great Canadian Gaming, the company which operates the River Rock Casino, pointed to the regulator’s report, which found only 25 reported incidents and nine unreported incidents.

A statement said the company has “thoughtful and robust policies and procedures in place to identify, report and address any type of inappropriate behaviour, regardless of source."

“Great Canadian has no tolerance for any type of conduct that may put the safety or security of any person at risk,” the statement said.

A VIP gambler used to be worth a lot of money to a casino, dropping as much as $500,000 in a single buy-in. An RCMP investigation has alleged that some of those VIP gamblers were actually part of a transnational scheme to launder money from drug traffickers.

The report concluded that the River Rock Casino, in some cases, was not properly recording incidents involving those VIP players, despite the negative consequences for the staff.

“This review has identified at least two incidents in which managers appear to have been aware of serious assaults…but do not appear to have reported them appropriately, we must conclude that in at least those two incidents, management failed to report assaults to BCLC,” the report says.

One step to encourage all players to be treated equally is to have a code of conduct, said David Eby, the attorney general and the minister responsible for gaming.

“I found it concerning the idea that there was a different level of treatments for people in the VIP room than the floor,” he said.

“The VIPs are spending money, the customers with more money get more attention and it’s a bigger deal if they’re banned from the facility,” he said.

The BC Government Employees Union, which represents River Rock employees, told CTV News Vancouver it believes the culture in the casino allowed those with money to get away with more than they should.

“This reinforces the need for a public inquiry in this province. There’s a systematic culture at play here,” said BCGEU treasurer Paul Finch.

The decision to hold a public inquiry is now with cabinet, who are reviewing the most recent reports by former RCMP Deputy Commissioner Peter German.

The Paladin report also found that between 60 and 400 employees of the casino were regularly asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, but that River Rock, which is operated by Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, wouldn’t let Paladin see the agreements to determine their legality.

“Because River Rock Casino denied our requests and refused to provide further information on this confidentiality statement and supporting documents, we are unable to provide the background on its legal basis,” the report says.

The report detailed some of the incidents.

“We believe that the supervisors and managers failed to report to BCLC an incident of sexual assault that was corroborated by a number of witnesses… a table games dealer described an incident in which a player at a VIP table repeatedly attempted to play ‘footsie’ with (the staff member) under the table…however, we were unable to locate any CRS/iTrak file on the incident. Therefore this is considered an un reported but founded allegation of sexual assault,” the report says.

In another case, a patron at a table in the “Salon Prive” threw a chair into a garbage can, and then threw a card to the table next to a staff member that broke in half.

“Regardless of whether this was an intentional attempt to injure…this incident must be considered an attempted assault with a weapon,” the report says, but no paperwork was generated.

About 49 per cent of all incidents were VIP-related, the report says. Forty-five per cent were not VIP-related, and six per cent were unknown, the report says.

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