Gambling Act 2003 · Section 308
Host responsibility
Harrier Lodge operates a gaming lounge. That comes with obligations — some of them written into New Zealand law, and some of them simply what a good host owes the people in the building. This page sets out both.
01 · Our commitment
Gambling is entertainment. It is not an income, not an investment and not a way out of a difficult month. Harrier Lodge is required under section 308 of the Gambling Act 2003 to have a host responsibility policy in place for the gaming lounge we operate, and to actually follow it. Ours has been approved by our board, is displayed at the entrance to the Aurora Room, and forms part of the induction of every member of staff who works in it.
In practice our commitment amounts to five things: nobody under 20 gets in; our people are trained to notice when someone is in trouble; help is offered before it is asked for; self-exclusion is easy, confidential and honoured; and we do not design the room, the promotions or the credit we issue to keep anybody playing longer than they meant to.
02 · Minimum age — 20 years
The minimum age for entry to the Aurora Room is 20 years. There are no exceptions, for anybody, at any hour, including guests staying in the lodge and including people who merely wish to walk through the room to reach the bar.
Identification is checked at the door on every visit. We accept a New Zealand driver licence, a Kiwi Access (18+) card, or a passport. If you appear to be under 25 you will be asked, and our staff will refuse entry without acceptable identification — that is not officiousness but the law, and letting an underage person into a gaming area is an offence for which both the individual staff member and the company are liable.
The age verification prompt on this website exists for the same reason. It is not a substitute for identification at the door.
03 · Trained staff
Every person rostered into the gaming lounge — croupiers, cashiers, hosts, security and duty managers — completes host responsibility training before their first shift and refresher training each year. The training covers the requirements of the Gambling Act 2003, the signs of harmful gambling, how to open a conversation without embarrassing anybody, how to arrange a self-exclusion, and when to involve a duty manager.
A duty manager is present in the building whenever the room is open, and has the authority to intervene, to refuse service, to close a table, or to ask a guest to leave the room for the evening.
04 · Signs we watch for
Our staff are asked to pay attention to, and to act on, behaviour of this kind:
- Playing for long periods without a break, or across successive nights
- Returning repeatedly to the cage after losses, or asking to borrow money
- Visible distress, anger or agitation at a machine or table
- Talking about debts, or about winning as a way to solve a problem
- Asking staff to conceal a visit from a partner or family member
- Being reluctant to stop when the room closes
Where staff see these things, they are expected to approach the guest quietly, offer a break and a coffee, mention the support that exists, and record the interaction. No approach of this kind is ever made in front of other guests.
05 · Self-exclusion
Anybody may ask to be excluded from the Aurora Room, and does not need to give a reason. The process takes about ten minutes at the duty manager's office, involves a short written order and a photograph, and is entirely confidential — it is not shared with any other business, and it does not affect your ability to stay at the hotel, eat in the restaurant or use any other part of the property.
You choose the length: six months, one year, or two years. During that period we will not admit you to the gaming lounge, will not send you any gaming-related communication, and will not issue you any gaming lounge credit that forms part of a package. A self-exclusion order cannot be shortened or cancelled early, which is the point of it.
A third party — a family member, or a member of our own staff — may also ask us to consider issuing an exclusion order where there is reasonable ground to believe a person is experiencing harm. We will look into any such request, and we take them seriously.
To begin: speak to the duty manager at the entrance to the Aurora Room at any hour, or write to [email protected] marked for the attention of the General Manager.
06 · The room itself
| Cash machines | There is no ATM in the gaming lounge, and none within it or at its entrance. |
|---|---|
| Credit | We do not lend money, extend credit or cash cheques for gaming. |
| Clocks | Clocks are visible from every table and every bank of machines, and the room has windows. |
| Closing | The room closes at 03:00 every night and does not re-open before midday. |
| Alcohol | Service stops at 02:30. Intoxicated guests are not served and are not permitted to play. |
| Information | Helpline cards and self-exclusion information sit at the cage, at the entrance and in the washrooms. |
| Advertising | We do not advertise gaming outside the property, and no gaming promotion is sent to anyone who has not asked for it. |
07 · If someone you love gambles
Gambling harm rarely stops with the person doing it. If you are worried about a partner, a parent or a friend, you can speak to any of the services listed below yourself — they support families as well as gamblers, and you do not need the other person's permission or knowledge to call.
You may also contact our General Manager directly. We cannot discuss another adult's activity with you, but we can receive information, and we can consider a third-party exclusion order as described above.
08 · Where to get help
All of these services are free, confidential and available throughout New Zealand.
Asian Family Services — 0800 862 342. Māori and Pasifika counselling services are available through the Gambling Helpline on request, in te reo Māori and in Pacific languages.
09 · Complaints and regulation
The Aurora Room is operated by Harrier Lodge Hospitality Limited under the Gambling Act 2003. Gambling in New Zealand is regulated by the Department of Internal Affairs.
If you are unhappy with anything about the way our gaming lounge is run, raise it with the duty manager first — most matters are resolved on the spot. If you would rather put it in writing, or if you are not satisfied with the answer, write to the General Manager, Harrier Lodge, 148 Fernhill Road, Queenstown 9300. We acknowledge written complaints within two working days and reply in full within ten.
You may also complain directly to the Department of Internal Affairs, Gambling Compliance, at any time. Nothing on this page limits that right.
Talk to the management
Any question about this policy, about self-exclusion, or about anything that has happened in the Aurora Room can go straight to our management team. Telephone +64 3 442 7180 and ask for the duty manager, or write to [email protected].