John Staresina
Mississauga,ON
Summary
Experienced enforcement professional skilled in managing high-risk situations and ensuring compliance with legislative standards. Expertise in investigations and incident management, with strong abilities in interpreting Federal and Provincial legislation and municipal bylaws. Effectively collaborates with police, security partners, and court services to enhance safety and service delivery.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Casino Surveillance Manager
Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto
06.2025 - Current
- Oversaw casino surveillance operations for table games, slot operations, cage, count room, security, and gaming floors, ensuring operational integrity and compliance with regulatory standards. Monitor live gaming activity to identify cheating, collusion, advantage play, fraud, theft, and regulatory violations. Executed internal and external investigations following AGCO Registrar’s Standards and OLG policies, documenting findings in incident reports and regulatory submissions. Collaborated with AGCO inspectors, law enforcement, and senior leadership to maintain compliance with privacy legislation and surveillance standards, ensuring evidence retention in a 24/7 casino resort environment.
Casino Table Games Manger
Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto
Toronto, Ontario
01.2020 - 04.2024
- Managed full-scale table games operations generating up to $5M in revenue, supporting annual table games revenue exceeding $1.5B. Oversaw 200+ live tables and managed teams of 260+ dealers, 50+ supervisors, and 6 pit managers per shift to ensure smooth operations. Implemented performance optimization initiatives increasing WPU by 8–12% and reducing labor costs by 6–10%. Conducted compliance audits and operational reviews to ensure adherence to regulations and mitigate operational risks. Resolved escalated guest disputes, ensuring compliance with AGCO, OLG, and AML regulations while maintaining customer satisfaction. Directed major poker events over spans of 10–12 days each
Casino Pit Manager
Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto
01.2013 - 01.2020
- Managed crises and ensured regulatory compliance, making risk-based decisions to uphold operational integrity. This includes AML awareness and fraud detection, investigative analysis, complex customer conflict resolution, and large-team supervision within fast-paced, high-liability environments. Held executive-level accountability, facilitating defensible decision-making amid significant financial exposure and ongoing oversight. These competencies translate directly into financial crime prevention, compliance management, operations leadership, enterprise risk management
Education
Diploma - Criminology
Wilfrid Laurier University
Brantford, ON06-2006
Diploma - Police Foundations
Mohawk College of Applied Arts And Technology
Brantford, Ontario06-2004
Skills
- Casino Surveillance
- Incident Investigation
- Evidence Handling
- Fraud Detection
- Internal Controls
- Risk Management
- Conflict Resolution & De-escalation
- Risk Assessment & Safety-Focused
- Coordination with OPP, TPS
- Emergency Response
- Compliance Monitoring & Policy Enforcement
- Crisis Intervention
- Communication & Report Writing
Languages
English
Native/ Bilingual
Croatian
Native/ Bilingual
Serbian
Native/ Bilingual
Accomplishments
Promoted to Surveillance Manger June 2025.
Affiliations
Volunteer Chef for several retirement homes for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas since 2004
Timeline
Casino Surveillance Manager
Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto
06.2025 - Current
Casino Table Games Manger
Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto
01.2020 - 04.2024
Casino Pit Manager
Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto
01.2013 - 01.2020
Diploma - Criminology
Wilfrid Laurier University
Diploma - Police Foundations
Mohawk College of Applied Arts And Technology