The Annual BSA-AML Gaming Conference is set to launch in less than two weeks. The event is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 12th, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The event is organized and hosted by the BSA-AML Compliance Group, an organization that provides knowledge-based training related to anti-money laundering (AML) and other illicit finance issues.
The group calls the event “the premier anti-money laundering compliance conference for the gaming industry,” featuring over a dozen government officials and other experts in gaming, sanctions, anti-money laundering, and compliance. It has also revealed the schedule for the conference.
The main conference will open on Tuesday morning (September 12th) with a welcome address from Dr. Brittnie Watkins of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The control board oversees Nevada’s gaming industry and protects the stability and integrity of the gaming industry through investigations, licensing, and enforcement of laws and regulations. Dr. Watkins is also the first black woman to be elected to the State Bar of Nevada Board of Governors.
BSA-AML Compliance Group also noted that the conference will feature various emerging “horizon” issues critical to the compliance community. Carole House, former Director of Cybersecurity and Secure Digital Information at the White House National Security Council, will address the compliance challenges and opportunities in connection with the emergence of artificial intelligence. Prior to her service at the NSC, House led efforts at FinCEN as a Senior Cyber and Emerging Technology Policy Officer.
Anthony Sankey, Chief of the FBI’s Money Laundering, Forfeiture, and Bank Fraud Unit, will describe the FBI’s new Integrity in Sports and Gaming Initiative, as well as other Bureau efforts to combat illicit finance. Chief Sankey oversees all Money Laundering investigations for the FBI and serves as a delegate to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group (FELEG), the Money Laundering Working Group, and the FBI representative on the Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group.
In addition to Dr. Watkins, Ms. House, and Chief Sankey, the Conference features other current and former government officials and illicit finance experts.
Day one of the conference (September 12th) will feature a keynote from Scott Rembrandt, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US Department of the Treasury; Day two (September 13th) will hear from IRS-Criminal Investigation Chief James Lee; and Day three (September 14th) will feature Deputy Assistant Director Aaron Tapp of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Government speakers from the US Department of Justice, Internal Revenue Service, and other agencies – state and federal, civil and criminal – will also deliver presentations.
Other presenters include former officials from the White House Office of Drug Control Policy; FinCEN’s Enforcement Division; the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; and the Organized Crime Section of the US Department of Justice. The Conference also hosts an optional “Fundamentals Day” on Monday, September 11th, for those new to the industry or to the compliance function, or for those seeking a refresher.
Attendees will have a chance to meet face-to-face with IRS-BSA Examiners, state gaming regulators, and criminal law enforcement to learn about money laundering, emerging illicit finance typologies, sanctions compliance, fraud, and cyber threats to their casinos.