狈别飞听Zealand‘s听厂办测颁颈迟测听Entertainment聽on Monday said the country’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has applied to temporarily听蝉耻蝉辫别苍诲听the license of its听厂办测颁颈迟测听颁补蝉颈苍辞听Management (SCML) unit, sending the听肠补蝉颈苍辞听operator’s shares down 18.5%.
The application was made to the country’s gambling commission to听蝉耻蝉辫别苍诲听the听耻苍颈迟’蝉听肠补蝉颈苍辞听operator’s license for a “range of 10 days”, following a complaint made early last year by a former customer who gambled at the听厂办测颁颈迟测听Auckland听肠补蝉颈苍辞听from August 2017 until February 2021,听厂办测颁颈迟测听said.
Shares of听厂办测颁颈迟测听fell as much as NZ$1.900 by 0209 GMT, hitting their lowest level since April 8, 2020.
“The Secretary (of the DIA) states in the application that SCML did not comply with requirements in its听厂办测颁颈迟测听Auckland Host Responsibility Program relating to detection of incidences of continuous play by the customer,”听厂办测颁颈迟测听said in a statement.
SCML is听厂办测颁颈迟测‘s license holder for its听肠补蝉颈苍辞s in Auckland, Hamilton and Queenstown regions in聽狈别飞听Zealand.
The company did not comment further on the application, adding that it would fully comply with the DIA secretary in relation to the application and process.
The DIA in an emailed response to Reuters confirmed that it had recently completed an investigation into听厂办测颁颈迟测‘s gambling harm-minimization practices.
“The Secretary believes听厂办测颁颈迟测听has breached important harm-minimization obligations including conditions of its license and conditions of its Host Responsibility Program relating to instances of long-play by its customers,” said John Sneyd, general manager – regulatory services, DIA.
Last year, Australia’s financial crime regulator launched聽against the听肠补蝉颈苍辞听operator’s听肠补蝉颈苍辞听in Adelaide to crack down on the gambling industry. – Reuters
