SkyCity Entertainment Group has received notification from the Department of Internal Affairs that an application is being made to the Gambling Commission, to temporarily suspend the casino operator’s licence held by SkyCity Casino Management Limited (SCML).
SCML, a subsidiary of SkyCity, oversees the operation of SkyCity’s casinos in Auckland, Hamilton and Queenstown, New Zealand.
The suspension, if granted, is expected to last approximately 10 days. However, the final decision on this matter may take several months to be reached.
The basis for this application is Section 144(a) of the New Zealand Gambling Act 2003, which comes from a complaint lodged in February 2022 by a former customer who had gambled at SkyCity Auckland casino from August 2017 to February 2021.
The application alleges that SCML failed to follow the SkyCity Auckland Host Responsibility Programme, particularly in detecting instances of continuous play by this customer.
SkyCity has refrained from making further comments regarding the application and associated allegations.
Section 144(a) of the Act empowers the Secretary to apply for a suspension of a casino licence if there are concerns that the licence holder has breached the Act, licence conditions or minimum operating standards.
The Commission will decide on whether to grant the suspension order, following the procedures outlined in Section 145 of the Act. This may involve the review of written submissions and, if necessary, the convening of a hearing.
Also, this action will not impact SkyCity’s non-gaming operations, including its hotels and restaurants.
Dini Soulio, the South Australian state’s Liquor and Gambling Commissioner, recently named Kroll Australia as the independent monitor to oversee SkyCity Adelaide’s compliance.
