SkyCity Goes Ahead with Carded Play to Boost RG

SkyCity Entertainment Group has introduced a mandatory card game, the company’s latest step in attempting to limit the possibility of reckless gambling, as well as tighten its safeguards around money laundering.

Carded Play Meant to Bolster Consumer Protections in NZ

While carded play has been resisted by many industry operators globally, SkyCity has chosen to strengthen its safeguards in this direction at a time when New Zealand is also preparing to introduce up to 15 licensed online casinos.

Players who wish to sign up and play at the land-based venues owned by SkyCity, though, will have to undergo quick registration that can be completed either in person or online. Users will need to provide a legal photo ID as they sign up.

Upon registration, each customer will receive the Show card, which can be used to join SkyCity’s loyalty program. Other than helping track irregularities surrounding money laundering, the carded play now implemented at SkyCity will come with a number of perks that help protect consumers.

There are mandatory breaks as well as limits that apply to sessions, daily and weekly, all part of the company’s broader ambition to protect consumers. The new measures were first introduced in Queenstown and Hamilton.

Commenting on the opportunity, SkyCity COO Callum Mallett said: “Carded play gives us the tools to better support our customers. We can make earlier interventions where needed and ensure gaming remains a safe and enjoyable experience. We’re proud to lead the industry in building a safer, more sustainable future for gaming in Aotearoa, New Zealand.”

Carded Play Has Been Embraced in New Zealand, Shunned in Australia

While Mallett has acknowledged that the company was fully committed to responsible and safe play, the new solution was a significant improvement over the old system. According to him, Carded Play is a way to strengthen the company’s commitment to protecting consumers and steering them free from harm.

A similar debate surrounding the carded play has raged in neighboring Australia, where local industry types have resisted the introduction of carded play, citing concerns with “treating gamblers like criminals” and even insisting that criminals would use carded play against the industry to launder money.

A cashless pilot was backtracked in Tasmania and has not been able to take off fully in New South Wales, Australia, with critics arguing that the government was unwilling to act.