Disbarred Lawyer Targets BCLC and Province in Gambling Lawsuit
Posted on: May 8, 2026, 01:54h.
Last updated on: May 8, 2026, 01:55h.
- Disbarred lawyer suing former employees, casino and banks, accusing former employee of gambling stolen funds through a B.C. casino
- B.C. Supreme Court allows request to add BCLC and provincial government to defendant list
- Trial set for June 2027
A disbarred lawyer in B.C. has been allowed to add the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and the B.C. government onto a list of defendants in a 10-year lawsuit involving millions of dollars of stolen money that was allegedly gambled at a provincial casino.
Unverified Source of Funds
Hong Guo alleged that BCLC didn’t do enough to stop an employee of her firm, Danica Qian Pan, whom she referred to as a “compulsive” gambler. Guo sued Pan in 2016, accusing her of conspiring to misappropriate $7.4 million from the firm’s trust account using forged cheques, $5.7 million of which was then gambled at the Starlight Casino over a number of weeks that year.
Guo is seeking to recover those funds. Her law firm was closed in 2016.
According to reporting in the Vancouver Sun, Guo argued in B.C. Supreme Court that it was BCLC’s responsibility to have picked up on red flags about Pan, that she was gambling with an unverified source of funds, that she was clearly a compulsive gambler and that BCLC didn’t do enough to stop the losses.
10-Year-Old Lawsuit
In her application with the court to add BCLC as a defendant, it was revealed in the Sun story that BCLC did interview Pan at the time and was satisfied that the source of her funds were her parents. Guo argued BCLC should have gone further in their investigation.
A B.C. Supreme Court justice ruled in her favour, and BCLC and the government are now listed as defendants.
Guo sued Pan and four other individuals, including a bookkeeper, BMO and CIBC, as well as Gateway Casinos and Entertainment, which operates Starlight, in 2016 alleging they were responsible for the losses incurred by her law firm, Guo Law Corp.
BCLC Added as a Defendant
She alleged that the individual defendants still hold some of the millions that were stolen. She argued that funds were laundered in the casino and cash was sent back to China. Guo said she worked with Chinese authorities and Pan and the former bookkeeper were sentenced to jail in China.
According to the Vancouver Sun, Guo claimed that BCLC and the province became a “constructive” trustee of the stolen trust fund money, knowingly received and retained money after having knowledge of suspicious circumstances, and receiving explanations from someone that were dubious.
Starlight Casino Involved
Guo was disbarred for a third time by the Law Society of B.C. in 2024, found to be “ungovernable”, accused of professional misconduct, failing to put in place appropriate accounting practices, misrepresentations and not properly supervising staff.
The B.C. Supreme Court justice also ordered Guo and Guo Law Corp. to post $150,000 as security deposits within 30 days. If that doesn’t happen the defendants can apply to have the action dismissed.
Casino.org reached out to BCLC, but were told they couldn’t comment, since the matter was before the courts. The trial is set for June 2027.
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