B.C. judge upholds BCLC rule making gambler prove where his cash came from

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled that a gambler must keep proving the source of his cash at casinos, rejecting his bid to be removed from the British Columbia Lottery Corporation's sourced cash conditions.

Ali Ghotaymi asked the court to review BCLC's decision to place him under the conditions. Justice Matthew Kirchner dismissed the petition in a decision dated Jan. 16, 2026.

BCLC imposes sourced cash conditions on players who make cash buy-ins of $10,000 or more. They must provide bank account information and proof that the cash was withdrawn from that account. The measure was introduced in 2015 amid growing concern about money laundering in casinos. As of April 2025, about 2,400 gamblers were under the conditions.

How he was flagged

According to the decision, Ghotaymi was flagged after making 29 large cash transactions between February 2019 and July 2021. The court heard that 11 of them were $9,000 buy-ins, just under the threshold, including two at different casinos less than two hours apart. BCLC also noted that he worked for Canada Post, which it said would not suggest a large disposable income or payment in cash.

BCLC acknowledged his pattern raised concerns but did not find he was involved in money laundering. Ghotaymi told the court that after a winning night he keeps $9,000 for his next casino visit and deposits the rest. He said nine is his lucky number and that he was not trying to avoid the conditions. He argued the decision branded him a suspected money launderer, which could hurt his chances of getting a job.

The court's reasons

Kirchner rejected that argument. He noted that the list of patrons under sourced cash conditions is not made public, and that there was no evidence a prospective employer would learn of it.

He also said nothing stops Ghotaymi from visiting casinos or gambling with cash. He only has to document where the cash came from with bank receipts. The judge wrote it is "very reasonable for BCLC to operate in a risk averse way when it comes to possible money laundering."