The B.C. Lottery Corporation has launched a new program aimed at cracking down on suspicious transactions in casinos, but critics say the consequences are nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

Passing chips or cash between players is forbidden in B.C. casinos, because it can be a method used to launder money.

BCLC says that it is enforcing the rule through "comprehensive layers of security."

But CTV News has learned that gamblers caught passing chips or cash will get a warning on the first offence, and then again on the second offence.

Only when they're caught passing chips for a third time will players be punished with a two-week suspension from all casinos. After five offences, gamblers can be barred for up to a year.

NDP gambling critic Shane Simpson says the punishments aren't severe enough.

"That's why people are losing confidence in the lottery corporation, in government gambling, because they respond in ways like this to real problems that people want fixed if the government is going to be engaged in gambling," he told CTV News.

BCLC officials declined to comment on the program.

An internal email obtained by CTV News that included a special note about these warning cards, which that are written in English and Chinese. The email points out the warnings also apply to "transactions between high limit players who generally play in high limit rooms."

The suspicious activity of one of those high limit players was revealed in another internal email obtained by CTV News. It described an incident at the River Rock Casino in Richmond in January.

It involved one of the casino's biggest customers, "Mr. S," and his associate "Mr. Chen." Surveillance cameras spotted them in the River Rock parkade with their cars parked side by side.

Mr. S eventually gets into his car and pulls out a red bag. He then apparently puts cash into the bag and the two men go into the high-limit betting area, where they both enter the washroom.

Then Mr. S comes out and buys in for $100,000 -- all in $100 bills.

This wasn't the first time Chen and Mr. S were cited for suspicious transactions. After the incident in January, the BCLC barred Chen from all casinos in the province for a year. Mr. S is still welcome.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Mi-Jung Lee