SKYCITY partners with service providers for Gambling Harm Awareness Week

For Gambling Harm Awareness Week at SKYCITY, public health providers will be welcomed onto the SKYCITY Auckland casino floor to provide information and support to our customers.

The initiative was developed by Hapai Te Hauora, and SKYCITY welcomed the opportunity to work closely with the agencies during the annual awareness week. This is the first time such an activity has been organised with SKYCITY being asked to take part

SKYCITY General Manager Support Services Callum Mallett says SKYCITY welcomed the idea by Hapai Te Hauora as an opportunity to work more closely with public health providers.

“We do recognise that for a very small percentage of people gambling can cause harm, and we welcome the opportunity to have public health providers inside the casino this week to raise their profile with any customers that may wish to approach them. We felt this was the most valuable way to support Gambling Harm Awareness Week.”

“It’s most important to us that we are providing a safe and fun place for our customers to game. Around the clock we have in place a multi-layered approach that combines technology with good old fashioned human contact on the gaming floor to ensure our customers are gaming in a safe and responsible way,” says Mr Mallett.

Hapai Te Hauora was keen to explore all avenues to engage with as many people as possible during the week. Engaging with SKYCITY Casino was a foot in the door or a step closer to reaching those whanau members who may not be aware of the various providers they can contact for support.

A total of seven different providers of problem gambling support will be stationed at an information desk within the casino across the five days, and will be able to give information to, and take bookings from, any interested person. Various service representatives from each provider will staff the station for four to nine hours each day from 3-7 September.  

The groups involved include Mapu Maia, Asian Family Services, Salvation Army, Problem Gambling Foundation’s He Kiwi Team, South Seas Healthcare (pictured right), and Raukura Hauora o Tainui.

SKYCITY’s comprehensive host responsibility programme has been praised by the Department of Internal Affairs, the industry’s regulator, as cultivating a culture of care in its casinos.

“We have well trained staff members keeping a close eye on how our customers behave, how much they spend, and how their gambling patterns change over time. We have set processes in place to regularly check people are OK, are enjoying themselves, and that they’re having breaks in play. We have a series of interventions ranging from pre-committed spending levels to self-exclusion and an outright ban.”

“We are continuously looking at ways we can improve, and some opportunities are provided through regular community consultation and others through looking at technological advances like facial recognition software,” says Mr Mallett.

SKYCITY offers self exclusion between 3-24 months from all their casinos and can facilitate multi-venue exclusion applications at the same time for anyone wishing to prevent further opportunities to gamble outside of their casinos. They can also discuss the option of an imposed exclusion for whanau or others.

If you are concerned about your own gambling, or that of whanau or friends, please get in contact with SKYCITY’s host responsibility team on 0800 SKYCITY or by email, or see our website for a list of service providers and contacts.