Profits are down at SkyCity, after Rugby World Cup benefits weren't repeated and international visitors won more money than usual.

The public health experts who once led SkyCity's problem gambling programme say the casino doesn't do enough to prove they stop punters becoming addicts.

A Hamilton casino worker has been sentenced to nine months' home detention for accepting financial gifts from patrons.

Royce Duncan claimed his success as a gambler - not a methamphetamine manufacturer - was the reason he could afford so many expensive toys, such as a 15.2m (50ft) launch.

Brian Rudman asks: "If a national convention centre is the vital piece of missing infrastructure to guarantee our future prosperity, why are they shackling it to the whims of a gambling empire?"

Sky City helped negotiate a deal struck by the Govt which fast tracks wealthy Chinese visitors' visa applications to NZ, Winston Peters has revealed.

Sky City's share price has dropped 4.6pc after it cut its earnings forecast this morning.