Anti-money laundering watchdog wants all casinos to set $3,000 threshold for players

The recent $81-million money laundering scandal has prompted an international watchdog to call for casinos to have a lower threshold for players.

Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) stated in its Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing manual that “casinos should identify and verify the identity of customers who engage in financial transactions equal to or above $3,000,” the Philippine Star reported.

“Countries must require casinos to ensure that they are able to link customer due diligence information for a particular customer to the transactions that the customer conducts in the casino,” the watchdog said, according to the report.

Authorities in the Philippines are already pushing for local casinos to be included in the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) coverage. Under AMLA, foreign exchange corporations, money changers, insurance companies, securities brokers and dealers, and property firms are required “to report suspicious transactions regardless of the amount, and any transactions of PHP500,000 (US$10,620) and above to AMLC.”