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Independent auditors will examine whether the Christchurch Casino has been skimming money from its poker machines, Internal Affairs Minister Rick Barker says.
A Department of Internal Affairs review failed this year to find evidence of dodgy dealings at the casino, but Mr Barker said an accredited testing company had been brought in to provide "absolute certainty" about the casino's gaming machine systems.
Melbourne company BMM Testlabs would investigate whether the casino's system or records had been tampered with and provide a report by the end of the month.
The initial investigation was sparked by the public claims of two former casino managers, Stephen Lyttelton and Peter Arbuckle.
The pair claimed loan sharking, prize draw fixing, gaming machine skimming, money laundering and illegal gambling all took place at the casino.
But Mr Barker said yesterday that the men had failed to produce evidence to support their claims and would not co-operate with Internal Affairs or make themselves available to be interviewed by the police.
"Christchurch Casino, on the other hand, was very co-operative, providing the department with information it was not obliged to supply."
In July, the department's report on the casino found little evidence to back up the claims of the two managers.
However, it found there was a general problem of loan sharking in New Zealand, linked to organised crime and money laundering, and recommended beefing up the department's powers.
Mr Barker has said he is looking at how the report's recommendations can be implemented.
- NZPA
