Harm prevention and minimisation
The Gambling (Harm Prevention and Minimisation) Regulations 2004 (amended in 2023) impose requirements for corporate societies licensed to conduct class 4 gambling, including training, monitoring and recording obligations.
Signs of harm
The regulations require venue managers to ensure that venue supervising personnel consider whether any player is exhibiting any signs of harm, including:
Gambling for nine or more consecutive gaming area sweeps (equivalent to three hours or more) without taking a break.
Waiting to gamble as soon as the venue opens.
Withdrawing, or attempting to withdraw, cash from an automatic teller machine or EFTPOS on 2 or more occasions in 1 day to use for gambling at the venue.
Attempting to borrow money from venue personnel or other venue customers to use for gambling.
Refusing to stop gambling at the venue when the venue is closing, or otherwise appearing unable to stop gambling.
Appearing visibly distressed or angry either during or after gambling (for example, crying, holding their head in their hands, or hitting a machine).
Leaving children in a car or otherwise unattended at the venue
Where they identify a player exhibiting one or more of these signs, venue personnel must have a conversation with that player to assist in identifying if the player is a problem gambler.
The regulations require venues to keep records of information that relates to each sign of harm identified, including information that would assist venue staff to identify a player who displayed the sign of harm, a summary of the conversation with the player and any further action taken in respect of the player. They are not required to identify the player by name.
Players should not be offended when staff are carrying out their duties as required by the regulations, which are linked here.
See also link to new infringement offence regulations.
Harm prevention and minimisation policy and manual
NZCT's venue policy and information manual for venue staff.
The pub gaming industry
The Department of Internal Affairs is responsible for monitoring the class 4 gambling industry to ensure it adheres to relevant rules, regulations and legislative requirements. The penalties for non-compliance include fines, suspensions, loss of operating licence and potential criminal charges.
Strictly controlled environments
A complex range of regulatory requirements are in place to support the government's objective to prevent and minimise the harm that can be caused by excessive use of pokie machines. Harm prevention and minimisation measures that gaming societies, their venue managers and venue staff are required to meet include:
limiting stakes and prize money
displaying odds of winning
restricting gaming rooms to people over the age of 18 years
interrupting play every 30 minutes with an update on how long the player has been at the machine, how much money they’ve spent and their net wins and losses
not accepting $50 and $100 notes
not allowing ATMs in defined gambling areas
prohibiting pokie advertising
electronic monitoring of every gaming machine’s takings
prohibiting syndicated play.
All venues must:
ensure that all venue supervising staff are trained in harm prevention and minimisation to the prescribed criteria and that trained staff are on duty at all times the gaming machines are operating
have a gambling harm prevention and minimisation policy in place
display pamphlets and signs directing gamblers to help services
have staff who understand how to issue and enforce exclusion orders
have staff who can help problem gamblers if they have an ongoing concern about them.
What we do to prevent harm
NZCT takes harm prevention and minimisation very seriously. To prevent and reduce the harm caused by excessive gambling, NZCT:
pays a problem gambling levy to the Ministry of Health of around $1.4 million a year - these funds contribute towards the ministry's Preventing and Minimising Gambling Harm Strategic Plan, which includes public health services (for example, the Health Promotion Agency advertising campaigns), intervention services, research, evaluation and workforce development
gives all our gaming venues a harm minimisation pack that includes our harm prevention and minimisation policy and manual, exclusion orders, a pad of gambling host responsibility record sheets, and other resources
trains all gaming venue supervising staff to the requirements of the Gambling (Harm Prevention and Minimisation) Regulations, including practical and interactive elements, to assist them to recognise and help problem gamblers.
employs technology to support its harm prevention and minimisation strategy, for example, online training of venue staff, facial recognition, and online monitoring and recording tools in some venues.
Minimising Gambling Harm Resources for Venues
Health Protection Agency Minimising Gambling Harm Programme
Support for problem gamblers
If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling, help is available. For local support services near you, visit Safer Gambling's Help and Support.
