More than $350 million in suspicious transactions were recorded in Ontario casinos last year – a trend that requires urgent attention if the province intends to keep dirty money out of its gambling facilities, critics say.

Freedom of information requests made by CTV News show that $372 million [$USD274 million] in suspicious transactions were reported in Ontario casinos in 2022. The multi-million dollar figure follows years of pandemic lows but is still some $38 million higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Provincial gambling officials say the high number is a sign casino staff are rigourously reporting suspicious transactions, though the NDP critic for the Attorney-General, Kristyn Wong-Tam, said the volume is a major concern.