Drake accuses B.C. casino of racial profiling
Popular Canadian rapper Drake is again accusing a business of racial profiling — and this time it’s a B.C. casino.
In an Instagram post, Drake, who is in Vancouver to perform at Rogers Arena Saturday and tonight, claims he was refused service at Parq Vancouver’s casino.
He alleges casino staff were “profiling” but does not elaborate on what they said.
The post was enough to infuriate his fans, who quickly blasted the casino in bad reviews on social media.
Parq casino issued a statement Saturday, saying it was investigating the allegation.
“Parq Vancouver is sorry to hear about this experience and takes these matters very seriously,” said Narinder Nagra, director of resort marketing for Parq Vancouver.
“We are required to adhere to strict regulations with respect to gaming in British Columbia. We are actively investigating this matter and have made several efforts to reach out to the customer and his team to discuss the issue. We are committed to having a productive conversation to resolve this issue.”
Drake’s team has also been contacted for comment but has not yet responded.
Drake called Parq casino the “worst run business I have ever witnessed” and went on to accuse the business of “profiling me and not allowing me to gamble when I had everything they originally asked me for.”
B.C. recently changed laws to crack down on money laundering in the province’s casinos. Now players who want to buy in for $10,000 or more in one or more transactions within a 24-hour period must provide a source-of-funds receipt.
The original receipt must be from the same day of the transaction and show the financial institution, branch number and account number.
The province pledged sweeping reforms of the casino industry following a damming report by Peter German, a former deputy commissioner of the RCMP, who found that money laundering in B.C. casinos was linked to organized crime, drug importing, distribution and trafficking.
If a casino allows a person to play without adhering to those strict new rules, it could lose its gambling licence.
An anonymous person claiming to be an employee of Parq posted a response on Reddit refuting Drake’s allegations of profiling, saying that the only colour the casino is interested in is green.
After Drake posted his grievance on Instagram, fans voiced their anger on Twitter, and left crushing reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor.
One Yelper, Lui M, wrote: “I would definitely never come here ...” adding the casino owed Drake an apology.
Another upset fan wrote on TripAdvisor: “Why didn’t y’all let Drizzy Drake gamble when he gave you guys everything you all asked for? Pathetic!!! I hope y’all go out of business!”
It’s not the first time Drake’s fans have taken to social media to write negative reviews about a business. Last year, Drake, while performing at Coachella, accused a country club in California of racial profiling. His fans quickly posted bad reviews of the Madison Club on Yelp.
We are actively investigating this matter and have made several efforts to reach out to the customer.” Casino official Narinder Nagra