Casino non-payment to be investigated

6 August 2010

Internal Affairs will investigate the circumstances of Auckland SkyCity Casino’s decision to deny a gambler a $60,000 payout won in a game of Caribbean Stud on Wednesday, Gambling Compliance Director, Mike Hill, said today.

“We are looking into the matter to establish all the facts as we regard this as an issue involving the integrity of gambling,” he said.

SkyCity refused to pay Sothea Sinn, 28, of Wellington, because he had self-excluded as a problem gambler in 2004 and failed to meet the casino’s re-entry conditions – undertaking six sessions of counselling during his two-year exclusion and applying to SkyCity for re-entry. Mr Sinn had breached his order in 2005, was banned by the casino for two years and again told to undergo counselling.

Mr Sinn told an Internal Affairs gambling inspector, present when SkyCity interviewed him on Wednesday that he did not want to make a complaint.

But Mike Hill said the Department will investigate.

“As regulator we want to see whether there is anything we can do to avoid this sort of thing happening again,” he said.

Media contact:
Mike Hill, Gambling Compliance Director, Department of Internal Affairs
Ph 04 495 9449; cell 021 979 427
Trevor Henry, communications adviser, Department of Internal Affairs
Ph 04 495 7211; cell 0275 843 679