SkyCity Entertainment Group has completed the rollout of carded play across all its casinos in New Zealand.
As a result of the changes, customers wanting to place a machine or table gaming wager at one of the operator’s New Zealand casinos will now need to have a SHOW by SkyCity card, which verifies their identity and offers new safeguards for their play.
Through carded play, SkyCity will be able to monitor gameplay patterns and encourage safer gaming behaviours with prompted and mandatory breaks, as well as session, daily and weekly limits applying to all gameplay forms. Players can also monitor how long they’ve played.
“Carded play gives us the tools to better support our customers. We can make earlier interventions where needed, and ensure gaming remains a safe and enjoyable experience,” commented Callum Mallett, Chief Operating Officer at SkyCity.
“We’re proud to lead the industry in building a safer, more sustainable future for gaming in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Customers can continue to use cash, QUICK Pay or Tito tickets when playing, and will need a legal form of photo ID to sign up online or at any New Zealand SkyCity Casino. They also have the option to join the operator’s refreshed loyalty programme.
The rollout of carded play was completed in SkyCity Auckland on Tuesday this week, but it began earlier this month at the operator’s Queenstown and Hamilton establishments.
Mallett added: “Our players all play differently, across different products. Our previous approach supported safe play within an anonymous system, but carded play takes that commitment further.
“It allows us to identify patterns of concern earlier and encourage breaks before harm occurs, giving us better tools to support our customers in real time.”
Consumer protections via online casino regulation
Carded play isn’t the only way in which the landscape of gambling is changing in New Zealand to offer stronger consumer protection, as the country’s Government is in the process of regulating the online casino market.
New Zealand’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Brooke van Velden, confirmed earlier this month that the Online Casino Gambling Bill passed its first reading in Parliament and is now going through the Select Committee.
Introduced to Parliament in June, the bill has been designed to protect the country’s online casino players by introducing safeguards to the currently unregulated online gambling market.
Through the bill, up to 15 online casino licences would be available via an auction. Interested operators needed to meet strict criteria to have a chance of securing a licence, including a harm prevention strategy and compliance history.
Van Velden stated: “Currently, New Zealanders can legally access thousands of offshore gambling websites. But the market is unregulated, so there are no player safety standards or oversight of harm minimisation.
“My intention with this bill is to ensure that online gambling is safer for New Zealanders who wish to gamble online to do so. In addition, companies providing this service contribute to tax revenue and funding the services that treat gambling harm in New Zealand.”
