An undercover sting by the Department of Internal Affairs has shown staff at more than a hundred gambling venues did not intervene or help apparently problem gamblers.
Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
In a first-of-its-kind for the gambling regulator, Internal Affairs sent undercover gamblers to casinos, pubs, and hotels to test how staff dealt with people showing signs of problem gambling.
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Of the 102 venues visited, staff at 101 of them made no intervention.
The department's director of gambling compliance Raj Krishnan said the results were disappointing.
He said Ministry of Health figures showed overall participation in gambling by New Zealanders had dropped, but problem gambling rates were much the same.