No images? Click here Director's UpdateNews and Views July 2022 Kia oraNow is a good time to reflect on the progress that’s been made so far in 2022 along with an update on what the future looks like in the gambling regulatory space and the future-focused initiatives we have underway. It was a fantastic experience to attend the International Gambling Conference in person, along with a large contingent of regulators from the Gambling team. A standout session for me was the research into how technology is being used to identify at-risk players and understanding the links between low social connectedness and gambling. Our Investigations team have been busy executing search warrants around New Zealand as we continue to our commitment of ensuring license holders comply with their obligations under the Gambling Act 2003. Read on for a cautionary tale to rogue gambling operators, a successful prosecution story, a new approach to licensing, and more. Ngā mihi nui, Dave Robson Gambling Director We’re right behind recognition for great practiceIn the not-too-distant future, licence holders who demonstrate comprehensive and reliable compliance with their legal obligations, and consistently show good standards of practice could be issued with longer licences. That’s because we recognise the effort that goes into achieving – and maintaining – good practice, ensuring it’s recognised. It’s early days and there’s a lot of legwork still to be done. We’ll bring the gambling sector along for the journey and have conversations, as we explore all the opportunities and the potential this initiative will bring to improve the overall standard of practice across the Class 4 Sector. Technology on our radarThe Electronic Monitoring System, aka 'the EMS', is a system we use which connects to approx. 14,000 gaming machines around the country. It provides us with valuable information about the location of gaming machines, the amount of money passing through the machines and enables us to monitor faults or potential machine tampering. While the EMS has been reliable, it has been around for many years. As technology advances, we're looking at replacing the EMS to ensure it delivers the best value while meeting legislative requirements. This is a large undertaking, and with our better together approach we’ll be making sure that all stakeholders are kept in the loop and ‘at the table’. Keeping your eyes on the prizeAs gambling regulators, we’ve come across our fair share of bizarre raffle prizes. In the March issue we talked about the time we stepped in to shut down an illegal raffle involving an Army Tank. Recently, we received several complaints about a raffle being run on social media sites featuring a couple of cute puppies as the prize. While animals are not common prizes, they are not prohibited under the Gambling Act. What concerned us was the prize value, which was in-excess of $5,000, this would require a licence. Another concern for us was the beneficiary of the raffle funds, in this instance the raffle was being run to raise funds for an individual's benefit. Proceeds of gambling must be used to benefit the community. Our team stepped in quickly, contacted the social media platform and the page was removed. Animal welfare is also important, so we suggested to the complainant that they reach out to the SPCA, who can investigate and enforce under the Animal Welfare Act 1999. For more information on running a legal raffle click here. Former club treasurer successfully prosecutedA former club treasurer appeared in court flanked by family as she nervously awaited sentencing. The Whakatane local applied for, and obtained money, on behalf of a rugby club where she was both treasurer and trusted fundraiser, using her position to benefit herself rather than the community organisation she represented. She was sentenced to six months’ home detention and ordered to pay $13,000 in reparation. This is a great outcome, which reflected the seriousness of the offending, with the judge noting that the offending was a “serious breach of trust”, and “the wider community was also the victim as it was deprived of grant funds that could have been spent for legitimate purposes”. This successful prosecution is a win for communities while demonstrating that we will protect the integrity of the gambling regulatory system and pursue those that are using class 4 grants fraudulently or dishonestly. A cautionary taleIf you’re a small club or community organisation, you could be susceptible to rogue operators who use opportunities like housie and raffles to take advantage of funds meant for community benefit but are instead siphoned off for personal gain. If you come across someone running a housie or raffle and you’re suspicious or have concerns that it’s not 'legit', let us know at gambling@dia.govt.nz. |