The New Zealand Gambling Commission is currently assessing the possibility of suspending the casino license held by SkyCity.

Original Story by Kelsey Wilhelm for the AGB

The casino operator SkyCity, based in Australia and New Zealand, is currently facing the potential suspension of its New Zealand casino license due to a customer complaint alleging the company’s failure to adhere to gaming harm protection regulations. According to a statement released by the company on Sunday, this suspension could last for approximately “10 days.”

The decision regarding the suspension is not expected to be reached for several months, as per the company’s announcement. The customer complaint dates back to February 2022 and was submitted to the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs. The former customer had engaged in gambling activities at the SkyCity Auckland casino from August 2018 to February.

The Department’s application to the Gambling Commission for the suspension of SkyCity’s license highlights that “SCML did not comply with requirements in its SkyCity Auckland Host Responsibility Program related to detecting instances of continuous play by the customer.”

SCML holds the license for the group’s three New Zealand casinos, located in Auckland, Hamilton, and Queenstown.

While SkyCity anticipates that the suspension could be relatively short, lasting just 10 days, it acknowledges that the Gambling Commission will now deliberate on whether to issue an order for suspension and, if so, the duration of such suspension.

The Gambling Commission has the authority to grant the order sought by the Secretary after reviewing written submissions and, if necessary, conducting a hearing.

SkyCity emphasizes that if the casino license is suspended, it will not affect the company’s non-gaming operations.

Notably, SkyCity recently reported its first full year of uninterrupted operations since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with gaming revenue totaling NZ$654.5 million ($388.7 million) and overall revenue reaching NZ$926.2 million ($550.13 million). During this period, electronic gaming machine (EGM) revenue showed strong growth, despite table games experiencing a slower recovery.

The group also manages SkyCity Adelaide in Australia, which is also facing investigation for possible misconduct.