Ontario’s Gateway Casinos Site of Attempted Holdup, Bandit Escapes

Posted on: March 13, 2022, 03:33h. 

Last updated on: March 13, 2022, 01:22h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Canadian police are continuing to search for a suspect who tried to rob a woman Friday night at Gateway Casinos in Innisfil, Ontario. The victim was not injured.

Gateway Casinos Innisfil
Gateway Casinos Innisfil, pictured above. The Canadian casino was the site of an attempted robbery of a visitor. (Image: CTV News/Beatrice Vaisman)

The woman was in a parked car in a parking lot, when a man with a black handgun approached the vehicle. He apparently demanded money. She refused to turn any over, CTV News, a Canadian news site, reported.

She then was able to get inside the casino. She informed authorities and South Simcoe police about the robber.

It is unclear why the robber initially approached the victim. Police did not say if the woman had won money in the casino.

Description Released

The suspect was described as white, about 5-feet, 9-inches tall. He had either blond or red eyebrows, the report said. The suspect was believed to have run away from the casino.

Witnesses to the crime, anyone who has information on the robber, or anyone who might have video of the robbery can contact the South Simcoe Police Department. The phone number is (705) 436-2141.

The casino is operated by Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Ltd. The company has 26 gaming properties in British Columbia and Ontario, as well as two properties in Edmonton, Alberta.

Ontario Gambling Controversies

In an unrelated incident, two London, Ontario gamblers won a payout from the Elements Casino in the city of Brantford, thanks to a lawsuit that nitpicked on the rules of pai gow poker. Fred Woolford and Douglas Dunbar played the table game, which blends elements of poker with the traditional Chinese tile game of pai gow, at the casino in January 2019.

A small claims court in 2020 ruled in favor of the two gamblers, noting the casino had changed the chart on the table since it had been hit with the lawsuit.

Deputy Judge Richard Campbell ordered the casino to pay Woolford $9,450 and Dunbar $700, respectively, plus legal fees.

Charges Dropped

In still another incident, York, Canada’s police department has been forced to drop charges against the owner of a mansion in Markham following a gambling-related raid in 2020. The move came after it was revealed cops acted improperly, reports claim.

York Regional Police (YRP) officers allegedly planted evidence — a gun holster — and stole pricey watches from the owner’s bedroom while searching the property in July 2020, according to the attorney representing the mansion’s owner.

One watch is a Patek Philippe. Its value is about $300,000. The second is a gold-faced Jaeger-LeCoultre. It’s worth about $150,000.

Authorities also violated attorney-client privilege during the case, according to a report from Postmedia News of Canada. An officer allegedly photographed documents from the mansion owner’s attorney during the search.

The investigation into the allegedly illegal gaming operation was called “Project Endgame.” The mansion’s owner, identified as Wei Wei, 52, was later arrested, as were his ex-wife and daughter.