Casino operator SkyCity has received a formal warning from New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), for promoting its Malta-based online casino. 

The DIA found SkyCity had breached section 16 of the Gambling Act 2003 by sending emails to customers enrolled in its loyalty program, informing them that the online casino was operating normally. 

SkyCity has said it only emailed customers to update them on the situation regarding the COVID-19 crisis, and that it believes such communication does not constitute a breach of the Gambling Act, though it will respect the views of the DIA.

Under New Zealand law, it is illegal for operators to promote overseas gambling, and such a breach could be met with a $10K NZD fine. However, in this case regulators decided SkyCity had not breached the Act intentionally, and instead only issued a formal warning.

The DIA has said it will “keep an eye on the operator and take any future breaches seriously.” 

AYO.NEWS says:

Even if SkyCity had been hit with the maximum fine, we doubt a $10K NZD (approx. €6.8K) fine would have hurt the operator, but the tone of the warning has sent a clear message that the regulator won’t tolerate breaches of the Gambling Act, no matter how minor. 

SkyCity’s online casino was launched by Malta-based Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) in August 2019, and is aimed at the New Zealand market. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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