Speakers

Vasilios is a Principal in the Financial Crimes Unit of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”). He brings to his engagements over 32 years of experience assisting both financial institutions and non-financial companies on all aspects of financial crime compliance with a particular focus on anti-money laundering (AML), sanctions, fraud, and anti-bribery and corruption (AB&C) matters. In his work, Vasilios advises several different companies that operate within the gaming and betting ecosystem, including brick and mortar casinos, online sportsbooks, i-gaming operators, gaming equipment manufacturers, and games providers on the design of comprehensive, risk-based compliance and risk management programs. He and his teams assist with the development of AML/sanctions/fraud risk assessments, assessment of policies, procedures, and controls, execution of enhanced due diligence (EDD) measures for higher-risk patrons (including local language media research, open and human source inquiries), development of transaction monitoring capabilities, and investigations of potentially suspicious levels of play. He has also guided operators on communication strategies with applicable regulatory authorities, including regular updates and submissions on the progress of remediation efforts. Vasilios also assists financial services institutions and companies in other industries (e.g., hospitality, telecommunications/media, sports leagues/teams) that interested in conducting more business with the gaming industry. In particular, he provides training and advises them on the design and implementation of appropriate processes and controls. Clients appreciate Vasilios for his accessibility, commitment, and leadership. Seen as thoughtful, engaging, and highly personable, he is adept at establishing productive working relationships and bringing out the best in others. With his strong commitment to service and to doing what’s right, clients value him as a trusted advisor. In that role, he is sensitive to their concerns, and able to guide them in managing the risks often associated with their businesses. Prior to joining the firm, Vasilios was the Americas Financial Crime Compliance Director for Macquarie, Australia’s largest investment bank. In that role, he was responsible for managing the company’s AML, sanctions, and anti-bribery and corruption (AB&C) compliance programs across all business divisions and legal entities in North and South America. Vasilios is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and currently sits on the Global Advisory Board of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS). He chairs the ACAMS Gaming Steering Committee and also serves on the Board of Trustees for the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA). In 2012, Vasilios received the prestigious ACAMS "Al Gillum Volunteer of the Year Award" for his significant contributions to the AML, sanctions and financial crime fields. Vasilios has also led PwC’s partnership with the American Gaming Association (AGA). In this capacity, Vasilios and his team developed and delivered targeted AML/sanctions training to AGA members and conducted authoritative research (using a variety of statistical techniques and data visualization tools to interpret survey responses) on a variety of AML/sanctions-related matters impacting the gaming industry. Vasilios has authored AML thought leadership which has been published in various gaming industry periodicals. He has delivered presentations and training programs related to the money laundering and sanctions risks faced by casino operators and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and seminars. Vasilios earned his B.S. in accounting at New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business, and his MBA in Finance from The Peter J. Tobin College of Business at St. John's University.