Jane – Online Casinos NZ

SkyCity Auckland Player Faces Fines for Cheating

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 01:28:27 +0000

In casinos, millions of dollars are passed from player to player on a daily basis. So, it is no wonder that some casino staff and players feel the urge to take more than their fair share. Fortunately, New Zealand casino operators like Sky City are equipped with the sophisticated technology required to catch cheaters and their accomplices.

These sophisticated systems threw a wrench in the plans of Bo Du, a casino dealer that had worked at SkyCity for more than six years. She was only allowed to scam $50 000 from the casino by the time the casino operator discovered that she had been accepting cash gifts from patrons in return for manipulating the outcome of roulette games. She ensured that the ball dropped just before the betting ended, allowing her accomplices to wager on the correct outcome.

It did not take long before management discovered the operation. Du and several casino patrons were apprehended for their crimes. The former casino dealer was placed on house arrest and has been ordered to pay SkyCity $20 000 in damages. She has also been blacklisted from working at any other casino venue in the world. The penalties that the patrons received have yet to be announced.

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Full Tilt Poker Back Online

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 23:57:14 +0000

It has been months in the making, but Full Tilt Poker has finally made its triumphant return to the online poker world. The site re-launched this week, and was met with a big welcome from former players. The online poker site looks forward to a successful future in the gambling market and is pleased to announce a number of new features.

Since it has been nearly two years since Full Tilt Poker was a functioning online poker website, its developers have been working hard to ensure that its software can compete with today’s leaders in the market. As such, several beneficial new features have been added to ensure that players have a convenient online gambling experience.

Some little things that you will notice are improved lobbies, providing players with more information about the games and tournaments that are presented to them. Players can also pre-select where they are seated in any tournament or cash game – another small but extremely convenient feature.

New tournaments are also making their debut at Full Tilt. You can take part in Double Chance and Triple Chance tournaments, which present players with the option to rebuy without the extra cost. Rush Poker also returns with brand new tournaments, bringing a whole new meaning to the term ‘fast-fold’ poker.

New Zealand poker player will be pleased with the new online offering from Full Tilt Poker. We highly recommended giving the new site a try.

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New Bill Wants Casinos to Pay Back Stolen Funds

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:08:31 +0000

Harm Reduction is a new strategy the New Zealand politicians are working on in order to curb problem gambling rates across the country. In the wake of the Harm Reduction Bill’s proposal, a number of other politicians have stepped forward, suggesting their own ways to improve the local gambling market.

Green Party member Metiria Turei has recently proposed the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 (Application to Casinos) Amendment Bill. This bill aims to prevent casinos from benefitting from crimes – namely theft used to fund addicts’ gambling habits.

“When problem gamblers are driven to crime everyone suffers except the casino, which pockets the profits,” Turei says.

As is the case with most other addictions, those suffering will often do whatever it takes to feed their habit. Sometimes, this includes stealing from friends, family and their employers. After their money is spent on their habit, the only one that benefits is the provider. In this case, it is the casino. Loved ones and co-workers are left without money while the addict is likely to end up in jail for their crimes.

Turei’s bill aims to put some of the onus on the casino operator. So, if a casino can detect that a crime has occurred in order to allow a patron to gamble, they must intervene. If they are discovered to have been able to detect a crime, the operator will be forced to return the funds to their rightful owners. The goal is to prevent casino operators from benefitting from crime, and this new bill may be successful in doing so.

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Sky City Partners With HP In Three NZ Cities

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 18:48:31 +0000

Even in the land-based gambling market, there is a huge demand for sophisticated technological software for players. Local casino operator Sky City has decided to meet this demand by teaming up with HP to offer players some great new computer systems to take advantage of while they play, and the new services are expected to change the country’s gambling market.

One of the biggest changes that Sky City Auckland, Queenstown and Hamilton will experience is the introduction of wireless internet throughout the casino. Even in their hotel rooms, players will have access to wireless internet capability so they can catch up on emails and even play some online poker when they’ve tired of the gaming floor.

VIP members are also given the added option of being able to set betting limits. Players with loyalty cards can now take part in ‘voluntary pre-commitment’ programs, much like the systems that the Australian government is considering implementing. When players approach their limits, warning messages appear on the screen to let them know. Allowing players to limit how much they spend before they play is believed to help curb problem gambling numbers across the country.

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Councils Mull Sinking Lid Policy

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 11:20:16 +0000

In New Zealand, politicians are getting tough on poker machines. In addition to the introduction of the new Harm Reduction Bill, city councils want to introduce sinking lid policies to further reduce the number of pokies in their jurisdictions. Auckland City Council is currently in the process of hammering out the details of its own sinking lid policy, which put strict limits on how many poker machines can exist in the area.

As it stands, local councillors have voted for the strictest option. They have requested that, in addition to reducing the number of poker machines over time, the sinking lid policy should also prohibit poker machines from being moved. This means that venues that have relocated cannot bring their pokies with them and venues cannot sell their machines to other locations.

One exception that councillors have supported is allowing clubs to merge, in order to ensure that they stay afloat. However, politicians believe that clubs with poker machines should not be able to move their games to clubs that do not have pokies – even if they merge. There is some debate over this provision, but many politicians are in support of it.

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Scammers Target NZ Casinos With High-Tech Devices

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 11:32:06 +0000

With the introduction of sophisticated safety features at casinos, it has becoming increasingly difficult for patrons to cheat. However, one group of gamblers at SkyCity Auckland managed to scam $4.5 million from the casino, and were able to get away with the crime using sophisticated technology to seem inconspicuous.

According to reports, a dozen gamblers on a junket from Singapore had used unique methods to steal from the casino. Security cameras noticed that a baccarat dealer had made a suspicious movement when cutting his deck before excusing himself to the washroom. The casino’s security camera did not catch any further proof of cheating, and none of the players were wearing items of clothing that could conceal hidden cards. The group was not apprehended in New Zealand, but they were arrested shortly after in Singapore for using the same method to cheat.

In 2010, a similar case was uncovered. This time, a man was caught in the act of cheating, using a mechanical device to switch the deck’s cards with his own. This form of cheating is being used frequently, as players can quickly and unnoticeably rig the deck using this sophisticated device. In some cases, hidden cameras are used to record the order of the cards.

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Live Games Promotion at Bet365

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 22:47:39 +0000

One of the most common issues that players have with online casinos is that the experience lacks the kind of face-to-face interaction that you encounter in land-based gambling venues. Fortunately, several online casino operators provide live dealer casino games, which allow players to take part in casino games with actual dealers, broadcasted via webcam. This month at Bet365, players are encouraged to take part in live dealer games, as part of a new promotion.

The Live Games Giveaway at InterCasino provides players with the chance to earn generous cash prizes simply by playing their favourite live dealer games. There are dozens of titles to choose from, including: baccarat, roulette, pai gow and sic bow.

All you have to do is opt-in to the promotion. There is no need to deposit a particular amount of money or enter a bonus code. Then, simply play the live dealer game of your choice and collect points. At the end of the promotional period, players are awarded prizes based on how many points they have earned. First prize wins a generous $500 with second and third place winning $350 and $300 respectively. So, opt-in today!

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Does Facebook Encourage Underage Gambling?

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 11:07:09 +0000

Facebook is the premiere provider of social games. The platform offers players around the world a vast collection of fun titles that can be shared with friends; however, there are concerns that these games could encourage underage gambling.

According to NewsTalk ZB, many cases of underage gambling begin on the internet. Although sites like Facebook do not require players to spend any money in order to play, many of the titles are based on casino games (ie. Zynga Poker, Double Down Casino). Children have access to these play-money casino games, which exposes them to gambling.

Additionally, play-money games can be more harmful than actual casino games. Since players do not lose real cash, inexperienced gamblers may develop unrealistic perceptions about gambling.

“They often get onto Facebook,” says Dr. Sean Sullivan. “There’s a huge amount of gambling available on there and it’s called gaming”.

Many recent studies in New Zealand have shown that simply exposing children to gambling can lead to their development of gambling problems later on in life. As such, social games inadvertently contribute to the problem.

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Hearing Highlights Concerns of Harm Reduction Bill

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:11:57 +0000

New Zealand’s Harm Reduction Bill has gained quite a lot of support thus far – but there were always going to be some concerns. Many of these issues were expressed at a recent hearing for the bill, as organizations stepped forward to voice their concerns.

The Harm Reduction Bill provides local city councils across New Zealand with the ability to limit the number of poker machines that exist in a particular jurisdiction. The bill also aims to increase the amount of money that each poker machine donates to charity, which has been a significant source of the bill’s support thus far.

At the hearing, however, many organizations expressed some concerns about the potential funding scheme. While they support the fact that local councils can limit the number of poker machines, they are wary of the same councils allocating funds. Some organizations are worried that their funding will be significantly cut should this become a provision of the Harm Reduction Bill in New Zealand.

So, it seems as though it is back to the drawing board for the commission. Another hearing will be held later in the year to determine the effectiveness of the amendments.

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Gamble Free Day Highlights Concerns About Sky City

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 22:03:02 +0000

Gamble Free Day took place yesterday in New Zealand and, in addition to raising awareness about problem gambling, the day also provided The Greens with the opportunity to raise concerns about Sky City’s new pokies deal. The political party argued that we have heard quite a lot about the financial end of the deal, but not very much about its social impacts, and The Greens would like to have more attention paid to this aspect.

“What we’ve heard is that pokie deals will pay for the convention centre, but it’s not taking into account the other costs that all of us have to pick up,” says Denise Roche of The Greens.

Ideally, The Greens would like the local government to conduct some research into the social effects of bringing up to 500 new poker machines into the country. With increased availability of the machines, the political party believes that problem gambling rates will also rise, and the local community needs to learn a bit more about the social end of the deal.

Gamble Free Day present the perfect platform for the announcement of these concerns. Now, the general public is aware of the potential harm of the deal, and they can spread the word.

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