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This edition of Gambits:now includes:

• A message from the Director, Gambling Compliance
• Details of a recent voluntary one-day suspension
• A Ministry of Health gambling research update.

Greetings,

This week marks the period that I take up the reins of the Gambling Compliance Directorship for six months while Raj (Krishnan) sits in the Regulatory Services' General Manager's chair.

In my role of Deputy Director it's been a pleasure meeting many of you and I'm looking forward to building my relationship with the sector.

I believe it will be a seamless transition and ideally you won't notice any difference. That's because our strategic direction and approach to the gambling sector has been set by our new C4 vision and objectives, and our C4 and casino operating models.

I have been working very closely with Raj over the past few months and know that he and I are on the same page about our approach to engaging with you and better understanding the context you're operating in. This goes as much for our industry stakeholders as it does for gambling harm service providers and all our other stakeholders.

I believe we all share common goals. Those are that we have a trusted and reputable sector, sustainable community funding and the harm from problem gambling is minimised.

2016 is a year where we're looking to bring new approaches to some of our activities. I'm excited about these developments and we will be sharing them with the sector before they are rolled out.

One of the next things on our calendar is our Regional C4 Sector Forums at which I will talk more about the regulator's perspective. I look forward to hearing more of your views and further building our mutual understanding of the sector and the challenges ahead.

I welcome open and honest conversation and I'm very much looking forward to working with you in my new role of Director.

Regards,
Gareth Bostock
Director Gambling Compliance

The Pelorus Trust undertook a voluntary one-day suspension of their gaming machines on Monday 18 April as part of a negotiated outcome with the Department.

The suspension was due to seven historical instances of non-notification of late banking of Gaming Machine Profits (GMP) which breached section 104(3) of the Gambling Act 2003. These breaches occurred in 2013 and were picked up during an audit of the Trust.

Section 104(3) of the Gambling Act specifies that when late banking of GMP occurs, a Class 4 operator must disconnect all gaming machines and advise the Department immediately. In addition, gaming machines must not be reconnected at the venue until all GMP has been banked.

The Department’s Gambling Compliance Manager, Stefan Pishief, says that societies must ensure open and transparent communication with the Department. 

“Although, in this instance, we recognise that the Trust rectified the banking breaches at the time with no loss to GMP and are pleased with the steps the Trust took to strengthen its banking practices, we rely on societies communicating with us when required. This is a critical step in ensuring the safeguarding of community money,” Mr Pishief said.

"Integrity is at the heart of ensuring a sustainable sector. Class 4 societies play a key role in ensuring the sector is perceived as safe, trusted and transparent and provides maximum benefit to communities."

The Ministry of Health has provided an update on a number of gambling research project reports that are available on the Ministry’s website and/or were presented at the 2016 International Gambling Conference in Auckland.

These research projects include:

• Smart-phone Gambling Harm Feasibility Study (the ‘SPGETTI’ study)
• Financial Literacy and Budgeting
• National Gambling Study Reports, including New Zealander’s Attitudes Towards Gambling (Report Three) and Incidence of Gambling in New Zealand (Report Four)
• Offshore Gambling Study
• Telephone Clinical Trial Reports: 36 month results and outcomes.

Read the Ministry of Health’s Gambling Research Projects summary update (DOCX, 548KB)

Future research reports that will be available on the Ministry of Health website include:

• National Gambling Study Report 5: This report will present evidence on the 2-year follow-up of participants in the National Gambling Study.
• Effectiveness of a Sinking Lid Policy for Māori Problem Gambling: This report will present evidence on the effectiveness of a sinking lid policy for addressing problem gambling amongst Māori in the Waitakere region.
• Pre-commitment Study: This study examined the views of New Zealanders on the use of pre-commitment for preventing and minimising gambling-related harm.
• Impact of Gambling on Māori: This study will provide evidence on the impact of gambling on Māori using kaupapa Māori methods.
• NZ Health & Lifestyle Surveys: These reports cover rates of gambling participation and gambling-related harm at a national level.
• Family Violence Study: This research aims to establish the prevalence of problem gambling and family violence in New Zealand, and associations with mental health and substance misuse/abuse.
• Gambling Harm Study: For the first time in New Zealand, this study will provide burden of disease estimates and metrics for gambling-related harm using the WHO burden of disease methodology.
• Growing up in New Zealand Study: This study involves analysis and reporting of gambling-related data from the longitudinal ‘Growing up in New Zealand Study'. The impact of parental gambling on children will be examined.

The Ministry of Health will also release summary findings from these reports through Gambits.