We take our responsibilities as a host very seriously and each of our properties has a robust Host Responsibility Programme in place.

Gambling can be a fun and enjoyable entertainment activity. However, it can also have harmful effects on some individuals, their families, and their communities. Our challenge is therefore to ensure that our business provides entertaining and profitable, yet safe and responsible, experiences and environments.

Best Practice Host Responsibility

“We voluntarily exceed what is required of us on a number of fronts. We have made excellent progress in demonstrating just how seriously we take our responsibility.”

We are immensely proud of the culture of care we have developed within our casinos and continue to focus on ways to ensure that this culture of care is maintained and that we have the highest standard of host responsibility practice. Over the past financial year, we implemented additional host responsibility measures to improve our ability to prevent and minimise harm from problem gambling, including:

• The introduction of an updated Host Responsibility Programme (approved by the Gambling Commission) for each of our New Zealand casinos. The updated programmes include SkyCity’s commitment to introduce carded play across our New Zealand properties by July 2025;
• Adapting and enhancing our facial recognition technology at the SkyCity Auckland and SkyCity Hamilton properties to monitor repeat withdrawals and multiple declined transactions at ATMs for indicators of problem gambling, with the technology soon to be implemented in SkyCity Queenstown;
• Refreshing all of our staff host responsibility training programmes to ensure staff are up-to-date on the latest harm minimisation practices;
• Increasing our host responsibility resourcing, with additional staff recruited as Responsible Gambling Hosts and Host Responsibility Executives and for host responsibility training and data insights; and
• The introduction of PatronScan technology at all of our casino properties to support the identification of minors and verification of ID documentation.

A robust Host Responsibility Programme is in place at each of our physical sites, and within SkyCity Online Casino, to prevent and minimise harm from problem gambling. All SkyCity staff receive training in host responsibility awareness. A dedicated team of experienced host responsibility specialists are employed at each of SkyCity’s land-based casinos and an experienced harm minimisation team is in place for SkyCity Online Casino.

In a dynamic casino environment, maintaining effectiveness, relevancy, and consistency in harm minimisation best practice is an ongoing challenge. In response to that challenge, SkyCity continues to explore available technology solutions, seek expert advice, consult stakeholder groups, and source a range of research material.

Signs and Symptoms

“We partner with local experts and support agencies to ensure we have the resources in place for harm minimisation and prevention.”

SkyCity promotes a range of tools in order to facilitate safer gambling – however, exclusion is an equally important host responsibility offering for those who may be experiencing gambling harm. Our casinos offer extensive information to customers about exclusion options and referral details to problem gambling support services, including gambling helplines and face-to-face counselling organisations.

In New Zealand, customers can choose to exclude themselves from all SkyCity casinos in New Zealand for a period of up to two years. In some cases, SkyCity itself makes the decision to exclude a customer as a means to prevent risk of harm occurring, or as a means to stop further harm through a customer’s gambling at SkyCity’s casinos. In Adelaide, customers can also choose to exclude themselves from the SkyCity Adelaide casino and, in some cases, SkyCity itself or the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner makes the decision to exclude a customer – all exclusions are referred to Consumer and Business Services (the South Australian Gaming regulator).

The signs and symptoms of problem gambling include:

• Gambling makes home life unhappy
• Feeling sad or unhappy after gambling
• Trying to win back losses
• Gambling to escape worry or trouble
• Changing sleeping or eating habits due to gambling
• Borrowing to finance gambling
• Considering committing or actually committing an illegal act to finance
• Considering harming yourself as a result of gambling