Hundreds of Queensland welfare recipients have bet millions of dollars in state casinos under a money laundering scam linked to crime gangs. The 329 pensioners and Newstart Allowance recipients, who get less than AUD 300 a week, have bought AUD 45 million of gaming chips at the state's four casinos in just 16 months. The scam is simple. Pension recipients, working independently or on behalf of organised crime syndicates, take thousands of dollars in dirty money, "buy-in" at a casino, place a few bets and then cash in gaming chips; in effect cleaning the cash.

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell says he'll follow up on the findings of a CBC investigation that raised concerns organized criminals could be laundering money at B.C. casinos. "These are important allegations. They are allegations that will be followed up and we will make sure that the gaming policy in our province is properly protected," Campbell said from Beijing, where he was opening the province's new B.C. Pavilion.

The UK Gambling Commission has compiled and published a regulatory document entitled The Prevention of Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism. The publication follows extensive consultation that has been ongoing since October and sets out how remote and non-remote casinos must comply with the Proceeds of Crime Act and Money Laundering Regulations, which came into effect in December.

Federal police Friday arrested the chief organizer of Rio's carnival parade, a federal judge and a prosecutor in a crack-down on illegal gaming and money laundering, authorities said. Ailton Guimares Jorge, the president of the Independent League of Samba Schools, was among 24 people arrested for alleged involvement with illegal numbers games, bingo parlors and the distribution of slot machines, police said in a statement.