Gambling Act 2003
Host Responsibility
Our obligations, our practice, and where to get free and confidential help.
Last reviewed: 1 July 2026. Reviewed annually and after any change to our gaming operation.
1. Our commitment
Copper Bluffs Hospitality Ltd operates a gaming lounge on Level One of the hotel at 27 Lake Esplanade, Queenstown. In doing so we hold host responsibility obligations under the Gambling Act 2003 and the regulations made under it, and we are subject to the oversight of the Department of Internal Affairs.
This policy is not a formality kept in a drawer. It is the document our gaming staff are trained against, it is posted at the gaming lounge entrance, and a printed copy is available from reception or the duty manager on request.
Our position is straightforward. Gambling at Copper Bluffs is meant to be one part of an evening in a hotel — alongside dinner, a drink and a view. When it stops being that for someone, we would rather lose the revenue than the guest.
2. Age — 20 and over
Entry to the gaming lounge is restricted to people aged 20 years and over. There are no exceptions, and none can be made by any member of staff at any level.
Identification
Photo identification is checked at the gaming lounge desk for anyone who appears to be under 25. We accept:
- a current New Zealand driver licence
- a Kiwi Access card (formerly the 18+ card)
- a current passport, New Zealand or overseas
We do not accept photocopies, photographs of documents on a phone, student cards, or any document that has expired. Anyone who cannot produce acceptable identification will be asked to leave the lounge, politely and without argument.
Minors are not permitted on the gaming floor for any reason, including passing through it, waiting for an adult, or watching play. Every other part of the hotel — rooms, restaurant, pool, spa, terrace and event spaces — is open to guests of all ages.
3. Self-exclusion
Any person may ask to be excluded from the gaming lounge at Copper Bluffs. You do not need to explain why, and you will not be asked.
How it works
- Speak to the duty manager, the gaming lounge supervisor, or anyone at reception. If you would rather not do it in person, email [email protected] or call +64 3 441 7250 and ask for the duty manager.
- You choose the length — anything from a single evening to two years, which is the maximum period we administer. It can be renewed.
- The request is recorded, held securely, and shared only with the staff who need it to make the exclusion work.
- It takes effect immediately, not from the next day.
- It is free.
What it does not affect
A self-exclusion applies to the gaming lounge only. Your room booking, your dining reservations, the spa, the bar and every other part of the hotel remain available to you exactly as before. Nothing about your exclusion appears on your folio or your invoice.
If you are excluded and you enter the lounge anyway, staff will ask you to leave. This is not a punishment; it is the point of the arrangement, and it is what you asked us to do.
Exclusion by us
The Gambling Act 2003 also allows us to issue an exclusion order where we have reasonable grounds to believe a person is experiencing gambling harm. We use this rarely and only after our staff have tried to raise the matter with the person directly. An exclusion order is issued in writing by the duty manager and states its length and the reason for it.
4. Trained staff
Every member of the gaming team completes host responsibility training before working an unsupervised shift, and refresher training every twelve months. Reception, bar and duty management staff complete the same training, because the first sign of a problem is often noticed at the front desk rather than at a table.
What we watch for
- Playing for unusually long periods without a break
- Visible distress, anger or agitation while playing
- Repeated attempts to obtain more cash, or asking staff for credit or a loan
- Comments about needing to win money back, or about debts
- Concealing play from a partner or family member, or being sought by one
- Playing while noticeably intoxicated
What we do
Staff are trained to approach quietly and privately, never across a table or in front of other guests. The first step is usually an offer of a break, a coffee or something to eat. Where the conversation goes further, staff can provide helpline information, explain self-exclusion, and arrange for the duty manager to speak with the guest somewhere private.
Our staff are instructed to raise a concern even when they are not certain. Nobody at Copper Bluffs is disciplined for being wrong about this, and nobody is rewarded on the basis of what a guest spends on the gaming floor.
5. How the lounge is run
Several things about the gaming lounge are deliberate:
- Clocks and windows. The room has both. Closing time is posted at the entrance and announced before it arrives.
- No cash machines on the floor. ATM and eftpos facilities are located in the lobby, one floor below, and never on the gaming floor.
- No credit. We do not lend money, cash personal cheques, or allow gaming spend to be charged to a room account.
- Alcohol. Staff will not serve a visibly intoxicated person, and will not allow them to continue playing. This is not negotiable and applies regardless of who they are.
- Information on display. Helpline details, self-exclusion information and this policy are displayed at the entrance, at the cage and in the lounge washrooms.
- Player information. Every gaming machine displays its return-to-player information. Table game rules and limits are posted at each table.
- No inducements. We do not offer bonuses, free credit as an inducement to keep playing, or rewards tied to losses. Gaming credit included in a hotel package is a fixed amount issued once on arrival.
- Breaks. Staff offer a break to anyone at a table for more than three hours.
6. Advice for guests
If you are going to use the gaming lounge, a few things make it more likely to stay enjoyable:
- Decide what you are prepared to spend before you go up, and treat it as the cost of the evening rather than a stake you expect to get back.
- Leave the card in the room and take cash.
- Set a time to leave as well as an amount to spend.
- Do not play to recover what you have already lost. This is the single most common way an evening goes wrong.
- Do not play when you are upset, angry, or have had a lot to drink.
- Take breaks. Eat something. The restaurant is one floor down.
The odds in every game on our floor favour the house over time. That is how a casino works, and knowing it is part of playing sensibly.
7. Free, confidential help
These services are independent of Copper Bluffs, free to use, and available whether or not you have ever set foot in our gaming lounge. They are also there for family and friends of someone who gambles.
| Service | Contact | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NZ Gambling Helpline | 0800 654 655 | Free, 24 hours, 7 days |
| Need to Talk? | Call or text 1737 | Free, 24 hours, 7 days |
| Problem Gambling Foundation | 0800 664 262 | Free counselling nationwide |
| Text support | Text 8006 | Free, 24 hours |
| Choice Not Chance | choicenotchance.org.nz | Information and self-assessment |
| Safer Gambling | safergambling.org.nz | Information and support services |
| Salvation Army Oasis | 0800 53 00 00 | Free counselling and support |
Māori, Pasifika and Asian-language counselling services are available through the Gambling Helpline. Interpreters can be arranged at no cost.
8. Talking to us
If you are worried about your own gambling, or about someone else's, you can speak to the duty manager at any hour. Ask at reception; you do not need to say why. The conversation is private and is not recorded on your booking.
To make a complaint about how we have applied this policy, or about anything else concerning our gaming operation, contact the General Manager:
General Manager
Copper Bluffs Hospitality Ltd
27 Lake Esplanade, Queenstown 9300, Otago
[email protected]
+64 3 441 7250
We acknowledge complaints within two working days and respond substantively within ten. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may raise the matter with the Department of Internal Affairs, the regulator responsible for gambling in New Zealand, at dia.govt.nz.
9. Review
This policy is reviewed every twelve months, and sooner if our gaming operation changes or the law does. The review is signed off by the General Manager and the gaming lounge supervisor.