Could pressure from inside and outside Canada lead to stronger anti-money laundering laws in Canadian gaming in 2025?

The Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) has lent its voice to the conversation already by advising the federal government to take a firmer hand.

The CGA noted in its 2024 Advocacy Policies that one of its goals for last year was to “actively participate” in the parliamentary review of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTF Act) to ensure Canada’s AML laws and regulations better reflect the evolution of the gaming industry.

The PCMLTF Act came into effect in December 2001 as an amendment of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) Act and lays out Canada’s legislative framework around AML.

We may now be into 2025, but changes both north and south of the border could force the issue.

Canada has been facing pressure in recent years to upgrade its AML regulations and incoming U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies have been vocal about the supposed need for the country to do so. As part of wider conversations, including the notorious idea of introducing tariffs of up to 25% on Canadian imports, Trump has posited that Canada’s AML regulations need improvement as they are currently less stringent than the U.S.

Trump advisor and criminal finance expert David Asher told the CBC in December that Canada needs stronger AML legislation because, as he put it, “the money laundering that makes [U.S.] drug trafficking work is largely run out of Canada.”

It’s wort noting that the CGA has not commented on the U.S. stance. However, with an open regulated online gaming market in Alberta seemingly an inevitability and still targeted by the end of 2025, ensuring robust AML regulations will likely remain a priority for industry stakeholders.

Meanwhile, at home, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party are the runaway favourites to be the next leaders of Canada. As noted by Gaming News Canada, the Conservatives have vowed to pursue tougher AML rules, and a section of their policy on crime backs up Asher’s cross-border assertions and includes a list of proposed changes to tighten legislation.

It could all add up to action on the issue this year. It’s certainly a space worth watching.