Field guide

Account Takeover (ATO)

How it works

Depositing illicit funds into a gambling account, placing minimal or low-risk bets to create a gambling history, then withdrawing “winnings” as clean money. Criminals deposit cash or crypto, place a few small bets or exclusively bet on low-risk sports outcomes, then withdraw to a different account or method. The casino record provides a veneer of legitimate gambling origin.

On the record

FINTRAC’s 2024 bulletin identified minimal play before withdrawal as one of the most common online gambling money laundering methods. Casinos globally file SARs on this pattern.

Published as a detection reference for surveillance, compliance and gaming-operations professionals. Thresholds and tuning are set by the property. Nothing here is instruction — the method is described so it can be recognised.