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A Gisborne man has become what is believed to be the first hotelier to be fined under the new Gambling Act when he admitted to illegal bookmaking at the Turanga Hotel.
Rikirangi Claude Moeau, 47, admitted two charges of illegal gambling when he appeared in Gisborne District Court yesterday.
He was fined $3000, plus costs, for allowing his premises to be used for illegal gambling and $300, plus costs, for taking part in the gambling.
The Department of Internal Affairs started an undercover operation at the hotel in February last year after receiving a complaint about an illegal bookmaking operation there.
An inspector saw a woman taking cash bets from public bar patrons who were watching a horse racing programme on a wall-mounted television.
The woman recorded the bets in a notebook, and was also seen paying to those who had placed winning bets.
The inspector returned in May with a search warrant. Again, he saw the woman collecting and paying out bets on televised horse races. She accepted a $20 bet from the undercover inspector.
Mr Moeau, the publican, came in and chatted with patrons as they were placing bets.
He was seen taking money from his wallet and placing his own bets.
The inspector then executed his search warrant and confiscated the bookmaker's notebook and a bag containing $1158 in cash.
The bookmaker, Bernadette Wawatai, admitted her role and said that all profits were her own.
She became the first person in New Zealand to be convicted under the Gambling Act of 2003.
Mr Moeau later denied any involvement when Internal Affairs notified him that his licence to operate gaming machines would be cancelled.
Lawyer David Sharp said Mr Moeau was not in the league of a bookmaker, and had made no profit from the operation.
He had simply made a serious error of judgment by turning a blind eye to it, under pressure from his patrons.
His efforts to stop the operation were probably what caused the complaint.
As a result of his error, he was no longer a publican.
Judge Phillip Gittos said it was clear Moeau had inherited the illegal gambling problem and had tried to stop it.
The exacerbating factor was that Moeau was not only aware of the problem, but took part in it.
Ms Wawatai had forfeited the $1158 in cash and been sentenced to 100 hours' community service because she was not in a position to pay a fine.
- NZPA
