The British Columbia government is to make major changes to gambling regulations in the province in the coming months with a new Independent Gaming Control Office (IGCO) being established.
The primary aim of the overhaul is to crack down on money laundering and other game-related fraud. In a statement, the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General said that the new version of the Gaming Control Act, which was recently passed, will create a new independent gambling regulatory body. The new regulatory body, the Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO), will be split off from the Ministry's Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB).
The IGCO will be responsible for establishing a standards-based regulatory model for all land-based and online gaming in the province, including BCLC's land-based and online gambling operators. It will also include charitable gambling and horse racing.
The Gaming Control Act and the IGCO will come into effect on April 13, 2026.
The IGCO to Crack Down on Criminal Gambling Activity
The Gaming Control Act, which has been passed, is the result of the recommendations from two investigative reports. Minister and Solicitor General Nina Krieger said that the new regulations will give the IGCO the powers to "more effectively address criminal activity."
The two investigative reports were the Dirty Money 2018 report and the Cullen Commission's inquiry into money laundering in 2022. The results from both helped build the Gaming Control Act, with suggestions including setting up a new independent gambling regulator and clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the new regulator and the BCLC.
The goal is to better equip British Columbia with detecting and preventing criminal gambling activities such as money laundering in both land-based and BC online casinos. The government stated that the reports identified "weaknesses in BC's regulatory framework that hindered an effective response to money laundering."
The updated Gaming Control Act intends to address other issues as well like problem gambling and the BC gambling industry which in recent years has become a digital-first section.
Money laundering will fall under the oversight of the IGCO and its general manager and the regulator will also be able to issue directives to BCLC without having to get consent from the ministry.
New Gaming Control Act and Fees
British Columbia's gambling free structure hasn't been updated in more than 15 years. The new Gaming Control Act will see fees increase and more will be charged to take part in gaming. These increases according to the government are based on inflation and the cost involved in regulating gaming.
New fee classes will be added to reflect the expansion of BCLC's PlayNow.com, the provincially run online gambling platform. This is the only licensed BC online casino in the province.
Fees for gaming venues and charitable gaming events are set to be based on revenue instead of a flat fee that was based on the number of slot machines in a venue. Gaming suppliers will also face higher costs.
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