After due deliberation, the Gambling Commission of New Zealand has decided to suspend the licence of Dunedin Casino for two consecutive days. The Secretary of Internal Affairs had requested a seven day suspension but the Commission imposed the lighter measure on the grounds that Dunedin Casinos Management Limited (DCML) had not been the licence holder for most of the time that Christine Keenan, the problem gambler arrested and imprisoned for dishonesty, had been gambling at the casino.

Christine Keenan gambled at Dunedin Casino from April 2001 until her arrest in August 2004. During that time she gambled NZ$6.6 million (US$4.4 million) and was convicted of stealing over NZ$500,000 (US$332,000) from her employer. Losing around NZ$30,000 (US$20,000) a month in the year before she was arrested, she used money from the sale of her house, a marriage settlement and an inheritance as well as the money she stole. DCML took over from Aspinall (NZ) Limited, the previous licence holder, on 1 April 2004.

The Commission found that DCML was in breach of section 309(1) of the Gambling Act 2003 when it failed to offer Christine Keenan information or advice about problem gambling even though the company had identified her as an actual or potential problem gambler. The Commission justified the two day suspension by the fact that the operative provisions of the Gambling Act, and its emphasis on harm minimisation, only came into force on 1 July 2004 – just seven weeks before Christine Keenan’s arrest.

In its report the Commission stated it had not given much weight to the serious consequences of Christine Keenan’s gambling, as to do so would be to penalise DCML for Aspinall’s failures. The legal fees incurred by DCML in defending the application for licence suspension from the Secretary of Internal Affairs were considered an additional penalty. The decision, dated 17 October 2006, can be appealed within 10 working days to the High Court. Following the 2-day suspension ruling, Dunedin Casino must close for two consecutive days, nominated by DCML, within one calendar month. (E-10.18.06)

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