SkyCity Entertainment Group revealed that its Auckland casino will be temporarily closed for five consecutive days in 2024 between September 9th and 13th.
This decision follows an agreement between the company and the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) to temporarily shut down operations for five days after SkyCity admitted to breaching host responsibility protocols.
‘All SkyCity Auckland hotels, attractions, and restaurants and bars outside of the gambling area will continue to remain open as usual during this period’, the gaming company added.
This resolution stems from the DIA’s decision to withdraw its initial application for a temporary suspension of SkyCity’s casino operator’s license.
The original application, filed in September 2023, requested a suspension of approximately 10 days following a complaint from a former customer who gambled at the Auckland casino from 2017 to early 2021. The suspension was later reduced to five days, between Monday and Friday.
The DIA accused SkyCity of failing to adhere to host responsibility regulations concerning the customer’s continuous play.
The company admitted it did not exercise the necessary vigilance in using staff observation and intervention to identify and act on incidents of continuous play by the customer.
SkyCity conceded it did not independently or adequately use staff observations alongside technology to monitor and address problematic behavior, particularly in cases where such behavior was silent or hidden.
Callum Mallett, SkyCity’s New Zealand chief operating officer, issued an apology for the “significant” failings, stating that the company is rightfully being held accountable.
The five-day closure is expected to impact SkyCity’s underlying earnings by approximately $5 million.
