Our History
GSPC is a not-for-profit organization which was first created in 1994. In its early years, the group consisted of a small number of senior security professionals from commercial casinos across the country. Association members communicated continuously and met annually to share information and discuss cross-jurisdictional issues such as responsible gaming programs, casino crimes, game protection, and new technologies. A Code of Ethics was also established wherein members were expected to act as role models of probity and maintain a high level of personal integrity.
With an increasing membership and growing interest in the Association, it was incorporated in 1999 as a not-for-profit organization named the Canadian Association of Casino Security Directors (CACSD). A set of bylaws were developed which defined its purpose, created membership criteria, and established a Board of Directors. An educational component was added to its mandate to advance the professional development of Association members. In 2008 CACSD began a partnership with the Canadian Gaming Summit, offering a Security and Surveillance educational program to the conference that has proven to be very successful.
In 2011 the organization evolved into the GSPC with an amendment to its Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. The new name reflected a broadened mandate that had emerged over a number of years to include surveillance, investigation and compliance functions, as well as conventional lottery ticket systems, video lottery terminals, electronic gaming centres and e-gaming. It also reflected the opening up of its membership criteria to allow less senior members of the gaming security community to participate in the hope that our association could serve to support the development of the next generation of leaders in the industry.
Today, the breadth of the GSPC membership includes gaming professionals from the areas of Security, Surveillance, Compliance, Risk Management and Cyber Security. Consistent with its tradition, membership meets once per year at various locales across the country for the purposes of conducting its AGM, sharing information and best practices and participating in an education program that addressed current and emerging issues.
Our Purpose
Learning
To host educational sessions by providing guest speakers, presentations and lectures in order to foster, encourage and promote discussion on cross jurisdictional issues and matters of common interest.
Collaboration
To promote and encourage the exchange of ideas, information, experience, methods, processes and best practices related to security in the gaming industry.
Sharing
To facilitate the collection and distribution of data, ideas, knowledge, methods and techniques related to security in the gaming industry.
Ethics
To establish a code of ethics for its members and encourage observance of same.
Meeting
To conduct an annual General Meeting for its members.
Governance
Below you will find some documents pertaining to the way that GSPC is governed, including our strategic plan, bylaws, and enterprise file.
Our Board
Kevin Sweeney
President
Kevin Sweeney leads the Enterprise Compliance and Security portfolio at BCLC. He provides subject matter expertise on compliance, security and asset protection operations and technologies and development of all policies, training and programs for areas of security, surveillance, asset protection, internal controls and compliance standards for BCLC corporate offices, casinos, community gaming centres, commercial bingo halls, lottery retail outlets and BCLC online gaming platform (Play Now).
Kevin has over 23 years of experience in the gaming industry and has held senior management positions within both the Private and Public Sector. Kevin is board certified in Risk Management, holds the Certification for International Counter-Cybercrime Professionals (CICP), is working on his MBA and has been called upon as a subject matter expert for Casino Security and Surveillance Operations in the development of various curriculum and training programs, lectured at various national and global conferences as well has been called as an expert
Richard Paris
Vice President
Richard Paris has served on the GSPC Board of Directors since 2007 in various capacities including; Vice-President, President and Chair of multiple committees.
Richard first joined Casino Niagara as the Security Director in 2001 and became a GSPC member that same year. He was the security lead for the Fallsview Casino Resort opening team in 2004 and is currently the Director of Security for both casinos in Niagara Falls. Richard has over 25 years of experience in the security, safety, compliance and investigations fields, in related positions with the Canadian Football League, Royal Ontario Museum, Canada Revenue Agency, and many other public and private sector organizations. He is a guest lecturer at Niagara College and a member of several joint committees and advisory groups.
Richard is a graduate of the University of Toronto (B.A., M.S.W) and Seneca College (Law Enforcement & Security).
Benoit Filiatreault
Vice President
Benoit Filiatreault is Vice President of the GSPC and currently holds the position of Senior Director of Corporate Security at Loto-Québec.
Benoit has over 30 years of experience in the security field. He started as a guard supervisor at the new National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa in 1988. In 1996, Benoit was hired by the Casino du Lac-Leamy as a Physical Security Supervisor. Shortly after, he was appointed Surveillance Manager and subsequently became Floor/Gaming Manager. He occupied the position of Player Development Manager for a few months, before being appointed Director of Security, Surveillance and Investigations at the Casino du Lac-Leamy and Casino de Mont-Tremblant in 2008.
Considering his diverse and unusual career path, Benoit has acquired a broad perspective on all aspects of casino operations.
Bob McDonald
Vice President
Bob joined the Board of Directors in November 2020.
Bob has 20 years of Security experience in the hotel and casino industries, and currently serves as Director of Surveillance and Compliance for River Cree Resort & Casino.
Bob holds several professional certifications, including Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and Physical Security Professional (PSP).
Andrew MacKay
Vice President
Andrew joined the GSPC as a member in 2015 and is now serving in the capacity of Vice President.
Andrew is currently the Operations Manager of Red Shores Racetrack & Casino on Prince Edward Island. With 17 years of experience working with Atlantic Lottery Corporation, Andrew is a member of the Executive Team and oversees departments including security & surveillance, racetrack maintenance and casino operations.
Andrew serves on several Board of Directors including Cape Traverse Ice Boat Heritage Incorporated, Food Trust at Mid-Isle Farms and Co-President of Bedeque and Area Minor Baseball Association.
Tonya Peters
Vice President
Tonya joined BCLC in 2018 as a Gaming Compliance Officer and transitioned into Corporate Security in 2019, becoming a GSPC member that same year. In her role as a Senior Specialist, Tonya supports and assists with the administration and delivery of BCLC’s Corporate Security Programs, conducts investigation into corporate incidents, provides security and consultative services across all of BCLC's business channels and manages the daily oversight of third party security services at BCLC Corporate Offices.
Prior to joining BCLC, Tonya enjoyed a 20 year career as a municipal police officer with both the Victoria City Police and Abbotsford City Police and holds a Bachelor of Sciences, H. Human Kinetics, from the University of Ottawa. She is trained and certified in a wide array of investigative techniques and police tactics, major case management and violent risk threat assessment. Her latter years as a Major Crimes Investigator largely focused on investigating and managing High Risk Cases of Intimate Partner Violence. Tonya served as an elected Executive Board Member of the Abbotsford Police Association for over 10 years, and retired from the Association as Vice President.
Management
Cathy Cuglietta
Membership Manager
Cathy Cuglietta has been a member of the GSPC since 2009. Her role within the GSPC has been to provide administrative support starting with website administration and for the past five years assisting with member enrolment, communication and invoicing duties.
Cathy has been an employee of BCLC for over 20 years with various roles in the Legal, Compliance and Security Department since 2003. Most recently she works as an Intel Analyst in the AML unit. In 2015, Cathy completed the Intelligence Analysis Graduate Program at the Justice Institute of BC and as of Feb 2017 achieved her CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist) designation.
Jaude Pominville
Financial Manager
Jaude Pominville has been performing various administrative duties for the GSPC since 2012. She has an in-depth knowledge of GSPC finances, and assists in other areas of the organization as well (communication, legal, etc.).
Jaude serves as the Internal Control Analyst within Loto-Québec's Finance and Oversight Department. Among other things, she is in charge of coordinating the writing of policies, guidelines and procedures relating to all aspects of the casinos’ activities, so as to ensure that all risks are appropriately identified and controlled. She previously held the position of Security Analyst within Loto-Québec’s Corporate Security Department for over 8 years, where she was called in to analyze and consult on a wide range of security matters within the gaming industry. Prior to that position, she was a strategic analyst for the Longueuil police department.
Jaude is a graduate of the Université de Montréal (M. Sc. Criminology, 2007).
