KEY POINTS:
Five of the six people responsible for problem gambling policy at SkyCity's Auckland casino have quit, just as the casino faces tough new requirements to stop problem gamblers.
The company's group manager for harm minimisation, Debbie Edwards, and the group manager for host responsibility, Shannon Hanrahan, both left on December 17, the day that a new host responsibility programme approved by the Gambling Commission came into force.
Both were regarded as trophy hires when they were recruited in November 2005 and August 2006 respectively. Ms Edwards formerly headed the Ministry of Health's problem gambling team and Mr Hanrahan was host responsibility programme manager for the Alcohol Advisory Council.
Two of their three SkyCity Auckland host responsibility executives, Michelle Kruise and Lisa Stafford, also left before Christmas, and the third, Robyn Te Whero, accepted redeployment to SkyCity's Adelaide casino.
Psychologist Linda Poynton, a former clinical manager for the Higher Ground addiction trust, was demoted from Auckland host responsibility manager to a host responsibility executive, but was the only one of the group who elected to stay.
The cleanout was part of a company-wide restructuring, announced last May, which aimed to cut 230 jobs and $33 million a year across the group's five Australasian casinos and other operations.
But the company's general manager (corporate), Alistair Ryan, said yesterday that new host responsibility staff were being recruited so that the team would end up with "slightly more resource than we had previously".
"We have restructured. There have been some departures and some new appointments," he said.
"The number will be in the order of eight in the new team."
He said the new team would report to the company's manager of government and industry affairs, Sifa Taumoepeau.
Another source said Catherine Etheredge, who manages the SkyCity account for public relations firm Sweeney Vesty, had been asked to take on a new role of managing implementation of the new host responsibility programme.
Ms Etheredge declined to comment.
The new programme is much tougher than SkyCity's previous arrangements and was described by the Gambling Commission as setting "a new standard compared with existing programmes in New Zealand and probably Australia".
It requires the company to monitor the frequency and length of gambling sessions and the amount of money lost by any of the 30,000 people holding SkyCity loyalty cards if the gamblers themselves, their family or friends or casino staff draw attention to possible signs of problem gambling.
The company has to give loyalty card holders data about their gambling sessions and losses on request, and has to tell the Gambling Commission within three years how it will provide similar data to all its customers.
Problem Gambling Foundation chief executive John Stansfield said the new programme would need a lot more resources.
He said some overseas casinos had also brought in public relations firms to handle problem gambling.
"It's completely barking mad, but internationally it's not uncommon. It's a symptom of an attitude. Host responsibility? When we're not going to do it, let's get the spin-doctors in so it looks like we are."
CASINO WOES
* Net profit dropped 18 per cent in year to June 2007, partly due to legal smoking ban from late 2004 and later remodelling of Auckland casino.
* 230 job losses announced in May 2007.
* Auckland casino pokie revenue fell a further 4 per cent in last half of 2007 as refurbishing continued, but table games were up 7 per cent.
* New host responsibility programme requires monitoring potential problem gamblers and excluding those identified with problems.
* Five of the six host responsibility staff in Auckland have quit.
