SkyCity has closed its Auckland gambling areas for the next five days after admitting it failed to meet its host responsibility obligations.
In July, SkyCity Entertainment Group Ltd announced it had agreed to close for five days over the issue. The closure was announced as part of an agreement with the secretary of internal affairs.
It followed a complaint from a customer, with a subsequent investigation identifying 23 incidents during which they were able to gamble continuously without detection by SkyCity’s technological system.
The closure began at 12.01am this morning, and was set to end at midnight on Friday, September 13.
Other areas of SkyCity Auckland would remain open while its gambling operations were closed.
‘Learning programme’ for staff
During the shutdown, the company planned a five-day “learning programme” of engagement sessions with staff.
The company said all staff would be rostered as normal during the five days. Around 700 employees would participate in the sessions.
“The event is designed to share information, conduct refresher training, and foster engagement and collaboration across different departments,” SkyCity said.
“There will be an emphasis on enhancing customer care, host responsibility and minimising the risk of financial crime. Department-specific training is also planned during this time – an example is enhanced customer service training for those who work in the restaurants and bars affected by the closure.”
SkyCity chief executive Jason Walbridge said the company was being “rightly held” accountable for its breaches of host responsibility obligations.
“Everyone at SkyCity has a role to play in rebuilding trust with our customers, shareholders and the public,” he said.
“We promised we would put the closure time to good use and have planned a 5-day learning programme of employee engagement sessions where we will share information, take part in refresher training on host responsibility, minimising harm, and minimising the risk of financial crime.”
In May, the casino operator was ordered to pay $4.16 million after reaching an agreement with the Department of Internal Affairs to resolve civil penalty proceedings over alleged non-compliance with anti-money laundering and terrorism-financing laws.
