Gambling Act 2003

Our commitment

Host responsibility is an obligation on the venue, not advice to the player. Watermark Point Hotels Ltd holds it as the operator of The Walter Peak Room at 41 Peninsula Road, Kelvin Heights, Queenstown 9300, Otago, New Zealand.

This policy is written to section 308 of the Gambling Act 2003 and to Department of Internal Affairs guidance. A printed copy is held at reception and at the cage on the gaming floor, and any guest may ask for one.

Twenty and over

Entry to The Walter Peak Room is restricted to people aged 20 and over. There is no exception for a guest of the hotel, for a member of a wedding party, or for someone collecting an adult from the room.

  • Identification is checked at the door for anyone who appears to be under 25.
  • Accepted documents are a New Zealand driver licence, a passport, and a Kiwi Access (18+) card.
  • Where a document is not produced, entry is declined, and the decision is not reversed by a duty manager.
  • A person found on the floor under the age of 20 is removed and the incident is written into the venue log.

Trained staff

Every member of gaming floor staff completes host responsibility training before working a first shift, and refresher training every twelve months. Duty managers hold the full programme. Training covers the signs of harm, how to open a conversation with a guest, how to record it, and when to involve a manager.

Staff are instructed to approach a guest who has been on the floor since opening, a guest who returns to the cage repeatedly, or a guest who says something that suggests the play has stopped being recreational. What is said is recorded in the log the same shift, and the log is reviewed by the general manager weekly.

Self-exclusion

Any person may exclude themselves from The Walter Peak Room. The process is voluntary, confidential and free.

  • Ask any member of staff, or the duty manager, at any hour the room is open. No reason has to be given.
  • The request is put in writing on a form held at the cage and signed by the person excluding themselves.
  • Terms run from six months to two years, chosen by the person, and take effect immediately on signing.
  • A photograph is taken with consent and held only for the purpose of enforcing the exclusion.
  • Staff are briefed and the exclusion is enforced at the door. Breaching it results in removal, not in a warning.
  • An exclusion is not lifted early. At the end of the term it lapses unless the person asks in writing for it to continue.
  • Records are destroyed six months after the term ends. They are never used for marketing and never shared with a third party except where the Gambling Act requires it.

Marketing to a person under exclusion stops on the day the form is signed, including email, post and any offer attached to a hotel booking.

Conditions on the floor

  • There are no cash machines on the gaming floor and none will be installed.
  • A clock is visible from every table and every bank of machines.
  • Windows on the north wall are not covered, so the time of day is visible from inside the room.
  • Gaming is never charged to a hotel room account, never extended on credit, and never advanced against a card.
  • Return-to-player figures are displayed on every machine.
  • Free water, tea and coffee are available at the service window at all hours the room is open.
  • The room closes at 2am and is cleared, whether or not anyone wishes to continue.
  • Intoxicated guests are not served and are not permitted to play.
  • Gaming machine and table minimums are posted at the door before a guest enters.

What we do not do

We promote responsible gambling on our premises, in the way an actual venue can: staff on the floor who watch the room, a door with an age check on it, posted hours, and a closing time that is kept. Play is in cash, in person, in one room, in front of people who are trained to notice.

Watermark Point Hotels Ltd runs no internet gambling service, no sports betting and no remote gaming in any form. There is nothing on this website to play, no account to open and no application to install.

Where to get help

All of these are free and confidential

Support is also available for family members, who do not need the player’s agreement to call.

Talking to management

The general manager reviews this policy every twelve months and after any incident recorded in the venue log. To raise something — a concern about a guest, a complaint about how a situation was handled, or a request that is not covered above — write to [email protected] or call the front desk on +64 3 442 6180 and ask for the duty manager. Written concerns are answered within five working days.

The regulator is the Department of Internal Affairs, which licenses gambling in New Zealand and takes complaints directly.

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