Tweet Increased pressure on Macau’s casinos Macau is facing a delicate balancing act – how to satisfy mounting international demands to crack down on money laundering and other criminal activities in its $38 billion gambling industry, without killing the goose that lays the golden egg. Finding a way of regulating the junket operators, which bring […]
Tweet Anti-money laundering investigation Caesars Entertainment Corp. said today that FinCEN is investigating it for potential violations of the Bank Secrecy Act over anti-money laundering compliance issues. The statement was made in its filings with the Securities Exchange Commission. According to the statement, FinCEN is considering whether to assess a civil penalty or take enforcement […]
Tweet This article was originally published in Asia Gambling Brief. Macau junket operators of casino VIP rooms working on image Some of Macau’s biggest junket operators — also known as VIP gambling promoters — are planning to exhibit at next month’s Macau Gaming Show in a sign this integral part of the local gaming scene […]
Tweet 2013 Annual Report In its 2013 Annual Report, a U.S. Congressional Executive Commission has urged Macau to develop law enforcement mechanisms to combat money laundering at its casinos. The Congressional members found that the gambling industry in Macau was reportedly tied to widespread corruption and the laundering of large amounts of money out of […]
Tweet Party is over says Colombia Minister of Finance The government of Colombia is imposing a 33% surtax on assets moved out of the country by its nationals to known tax havens. The surtax will be assessed against individuals and corporations to curb the exodus of funds out of Colombia. The government estimates that the […]
Tweet Ross Ulbricht, allegedly the Dread Pirate Roberts and owner of the website Silk Road, was arrested by the FBI in San Francisco today at a public library and his popular website was shut down. Silk Road was an Internet-based website that accepted Bitcoin. Ulbricht was charged with money laundering conspiracy, computer hacking conspiracy and […]
Tweet Crackdown on foreign nationals with unverified funds The G20 leaders have endorsed a sweeping plan proposed by its Anti-Corruption Working Group (“ACWG“) in 2012 to tackle the illicit movement of proceeds of crime internationally by corrupt foreign nationals to other countries (usually done as part of an immigration process). The change is part of […]
Tweet Anti-Tax Evasion Agreement The U.S. Department of Justice and the Swiss Federal Department of Finance have entered into an agreement that essentially ends Swiss bank secrecy and the renown of Switzerland as a tax haven. The Agreement: Applies not just to American taxpayers but also to foreigners and foreign entities who maintain Swiss bank accounts […]
Tweet The U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ“) announced that it has resolved its money laundering investigation into the Las Vegas Sands Corp. pursuant to which Sands will pay US$47 million to avoid criminal prosecution in connection with funds gambled by high rollers at its Venetian casino in Las Vegas. The DOJ was investigating Sands for failure to […]
Tweet Vatican Strengthens Anti-Money Laundering Pope Francis issued a new anti-money laundering motu proprio effective today to implement the recommendation of Moneyval in respect of the prevention of money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.