Loading exclusions within the Concern Database and Retiring the Fun/Unfun: Choice not chance posters
14 October 2021
Exclusion Orders and the Concern Database.
When you load an exclusion through the concern database by clicking Exclusions at the top then Add, this will load the person into the database for your club only. You should also select 310 – Self Registered Problem Gambler and Approved Exclusion from the drop down.
COVID-19 Information for the Gambling Sector - 3 September 2021
6 September 2021
Kia ora koutou,
As you will be aware, everywhere apart from Auckland has moved to Alert Level 3. Auckland remains at Alert Level 4. This will be reviewed by the Government on Monday 6 September.
DIA Website update: COVID-19 Information for the Gambling Sector
27 August 2021
Kia ora koutou,
The Gambling Regulator is committed to keeping everyone safe and stopping the spread of COVID-19. Operators and venues will need to make sensible and reasonable decisions about how they will meet any public health requirements and their health and safety duties at the current alert level.
Level 4 Covid Update for the Class 4 Sector - August 2021 EMS, Banking, Transfers, Surrenders
19 August 2021
EMS
EMS daily monitoring fees do not apply for the period of inactivity during the Government’s Level 4 COVID-19 response.
Fees are still owed for periods of activity (before and after the lockdown) that have not yet been debited. We will provide more information on dates and billing as it becomes available.
Venue Manger User on CONCERN to be made mandatory
18 August 2021
Clubs operating Class 4 Gaming Machines should have received an email advising you that by 1 September 2021 every venue accessing CONCERN will be required to have a venue manager user added in. After 1 September venues that do not have an authorised venue manager user added in will be denied access to their exclusion data.
Operational Update: DIA not publishing venue level data in August 2021
17 August 2021
The below Operational Update was released by the Department of Internal Affairs on Tuesday 17 August, 2021.
Venue-level Gaming Machine Profits (GMP) will not be published with the quarterly GMP Data on 24 August 2021
Are you walking the talk when it comes to harm minimisation?
12 August 2021
We urge clubs that operate gaming machines to take time in the coming week to review your harm minimisation policy and subsequent processes to ensure that you are walking to the talk and up to date.
Get your team together and go over the responsibilities, expectations and have a refresher so that if there are concerns for a member or guest, they know exactly what steps to take and how to report it.
DIA Operational Update - 6 August 2021
6 August 2021
Class 4 Grants: Data Collection and reporting
The Department is now developing a centralised data base to capture all information on Class 4 grants distribution. We are working with KPMG on this project, and over the next week KPMG will approach your society directly to request your society’s grants data for the period 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2021. KPMG will also produce a report on the grant data which will be released by DIA (as was done for the 2019 year).
Gaming Machine Number Limits - New Calculation Method - Action Required
16 April 2021
Following an April 2021 Gambling Commission decision, clubs will need to change the way they add and remove machines on their venue licences in order to avoid accidentally losing the ability to operate machines.
Any club that is currently operating less than its permitted maximum number of machines, needs to promptly have additional machines listed on the venue licence schedule in order to retain its maximum machine entitlement.
CONCERN Database - Exclusions must be approved
15 April 2021
Clubs operating Class 4 Gaming Machines must ensure that MVE exclusions received via the CONCERN Database are acknowledged and approved within a reasonable amount of time.
We recommend that club managers login to the CONCERN Database as soon as you receive the email notifying you of a new exclusion within the database, this will avoid a backlog forming.
Incomplete club licence renewal applications (GC7s)
1 April 2021
The DIA has reached out to Clubs New Zealand to express its concern at the large number of incomplete club licence renewals (GC7s) being submitted, claiming that some are virtually empty.
The DIA have exercised some discretion in response to incomplete applications, however, they have now stated that "there must come a point at which we must say enough is enough". The DIA have the power to return incomplete applications. They have chosen not to do that to a meaningful extent yet. But they may need to. If that were to happen, the clubs involved would likely need to stop their gaming activities. It all becomes a bit complex quite quickly.
Concern Database Changes
31 March 2021
Over the past week we have been updating the Concern Database to comply with the latest requirements from the DIA and Salvation Army. Using a generic name such as Manager or the club name to sign the exclusions is no longer accepted. A full name is not necessary, just the first name of the manager (or person responsible for gaming exclusions) is fine. We have been updating records to match the name we have on file. If you would like to use a different name, please contact Leigh so he can update as required.
