Casino's licence suspended after woman loses millions

Christine Keenan gambled away $6.6 million at Dunedin Casino. Picture / Otago Daily Times

The Gambling Commission has suspended the licence of a Dunedin casino after a woman gambled away millions of dollars.

Internal Affairs applied to the commission for the suspension after Christine Keenan turned over $6.6 million at the casino over a three-year period ending in 2004.

The suspension lasts for two days and must happen within the next month at a time to be nominated by casino owners Dunedin Casinos Management. Internal Affairs requested seven days.

Details on the costs of a suspension were suppressed at a hearing in September, but the wage bill for the casino's 170 staff alone was estimated to be in the order of $170,000 a week.

The commission found that the casino breached the Gambling Act by failing to offer prescribed information or advice about problem gambling to Keenan.

Keenan was jailed for three years in August 2004 after being convicted of stealing more than $500,000 from her employer.

The commission was told she sold her house, used the money from her marriage settlement, spent her inheritance, and stole from her employer.

She lost an average of $30,000 a month the year before being arrested.

Internal Affairs gambling compliance director Mike Hill said the suspension sent a strong message to gambling operators.

He said the Gambling Act 2003 had brought the biggest changes to the gambling sector in 30 years, with harm prevention as a driving principle.

"Operators of casinos and gaming machine venues must provide information and assistance to people whom they believe may be problem or potential problem gamblers," he said.

New regulations required casino operator staff to be trained in how to recognise and deal with problem gamblers.

They included providing the player with information about the potential risks and consequences of problem gambling and how to get help.

The commission said the country's six casinos were in a favoured position as the Gambling Act 2003 prohibited any new casino licences.

In its ruling released today it said it did not order a seven-day suspension as most of the harm to Keenan was done under a previous owner of the casino - Aspinall (NZ) Ltd - and DCML was only in breach of the Act for seven weeks prior to her arrest.

- NZPA, NZHERALD STAFF