SkyCity’s AML Penalty and Compliance Record: What Happened and Why It Matters

If you have searched for the SkyCity AML fine, you have probably run into several different numbers — because there is more than one. SkyCity has faced three separate anti-money-laundering penalties: a NZ$4.16 million penalty in New Zealand, an A$67 million penalty for its Adelaide casino in Australia and a separate A$21 million settlement in South Australia. This page explains what each penalty was for, who imposed it, and what it does — and does not — mean if you are weighing up where to play.

What anti-money-laundering rules are, and why casinos sit at the centre

“AML” stands for anti-money laundering: the set of laws that require businesses handling large sums to check who their customers are and to spot money that may come from crime. The companion phrase is “CFT” (countering the financing of terrorism) in New Zealand, or “CTF” in Australia. Together they oblige a casino to assess its risks, verify customers, watch transactions and report anything suspicious.

Casinos are treated as high-risk because they move a lot of cash and high-value transactions quickly, which is exactly the environment criminals look for. A few terms worth knowing:

• Customer due diligence (CDD): confirming a customer’s identity and, for higher-risk players, the source of their funds.
• Enhanced due diligence: the extra checks applied to customers who present a greater money-laundering risk.
• Compliance programme: the written policies, staff and systems a business must keep in place to meet its AML duties.

Every penalty below comes back to the same theme: regulators found the checks and systems fell short of what the law required — not that SkyCity set out to launder money.

The New Zealand penalty: NZ$4.16 million

In New Zealand, casinos are supervised by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). On 26 September 2024 the Auckland High Court, through Justice Campbell, ordered SkyCity Casino Management Limited to pay an agreed civil penalty of NZ$4.16 million for breaching its AML/CFT obligations, plus a contribution to the DIA’s legal costs.

SkyCity admitted to all five causes of action in the Department’s claim. The failures, which mainly involved international business customers, spanned February 2018 to March 2023, and covered:

• assessing its money-laundering and terrorism-financing risks;
• establishing and maintaining an AML/CFT compliance programme;
• monitoring accounts and transactions;
• carrying out compliant enhanced customer due diligence; and
• ending business relationships when it was required to.

One point is easy to miss in the headlines: the DIA said there was no evidence that SkyCity was directly involved in money laundering or the financing of terrorism. The penalty was for weak systems and controls. SkyCity’s land-based casinos in New Zealand remain open — you can read more in our SkyCity Casino operator profile and in our rundown of licensed online casinos in New Zealand.

The Australian penalties

SkyCity also runs the Adelaide casino in South Australia, and that business drew two separate regulatory actions — a federal AML fine and a state-level settlement.

SkyCity Adelaide’s A$67 million AUSTRAC penalty

AUSTRAC is Australia’s financial-crime regulator. In June 2024 the Federal Court of Australia ordered SkyCity Adelaide to pay a A$67 million penalty, and approved a further A$3 million in AUSTRAC’s costs on top of it, for breaching Australia’s AML/CTF law. The court found that SkyCity Adelaide’s AML/CTF programmes did not meet the legislation’s requirements and that it had not carried out appropriate ongoing customer due diligence, particularly for higher-risk customers. The admitted conduct ran between 2016 and 2022, and the penalty was agreed given the casino’s cooperation and its admission to the unlawful conduct.

The A$21 million South Australia settlement

Separately, South Australia’s Liquor and Gambling Commissioner ran a disciplinary review of SkyCity Adelaide, prompted by an independent report from retired judge the Hon Brian Martin, released in August 2025. In June 2026 the Commissioner announced an in-principle, non-binding agreement under which SkyCity Adelaide would pay a A$21 million fine and accept a package of compliance measures, including:

• appointing a dedicated Adelaide chief executive who answers to the Adelaide board;
• appointing an independent compliance auditor to report each year;
• adding more independent directors to the Adelaide board;
• phasing out cash transactions over A$4,999; and
• permanently enforcing its existing ban on junkets (organised groups of high-stakes gamblers).

Because this was a heads of agreement rather than a court order, it should be read as reported rather than fully settled; the Commissioner said a binding deal was expected to follow. The review covered AML shortcomings alongside gambling-harm and corporate-culture failings.

How the fines relate to SkyCity’s New Zealand licence

It is worth separating two different New Zealand matters that are often mixed together. The NZ$4.16 million penalty above was an AML/CFT case. A different episode — the five-day closure of SkyCity’s Auckland gaming floor from 9 to 13 September 2024 — stemmed from a host-responsibility (gambling-harm) breach, not money laundering. They are distinct issues with distinct regulators’ concerns behind them.

It also helps to know that the SkyCity brand you meet online is not the same as the land-based casinos. The SkyCity-branded online casino is operated offshore through SkyCity’s Maltese subsidiary, SkyCity Malta Limited; our guide to how the SkyCity online casino works explains that split in more detail.

What the AML fines mean for New Zealand players

For an everyday player, the most important thing to understand is what the fines do not do: they do not touch your own deposits or winnings. A civil penalty is paid by the company to the regulator; player balances are unaffected.

The real value of a compliance record is as a signal. Strong AML systems are part of how an operator protects customers and keeps dirty money out, and a repeated pattern of shortfalls is a fair thing to weigh when you decide where to play. New Zealand’s own rules are tightening here: under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, licensed online operators will carry enforceable harm-minimisation and consumer-protection duties. That regime is being phased in and is not expected to be fully operational until 2027, with the DIA running the licensing process. Until it is live, checking an operator’s licence and track record matters more, not less — and so does knowing the tools for responsible gambling in New Zealand.

A note on responsible gambling

This page is information about regulatory penalties, not a recommendation to gamble. Gambling should only ever be entertainment you can afford to lose, and is strictly for people aged 18 and over. If gambling is causing you or your whānau harm, free and confidential help is available in New Zealand through the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655 or by texting 8006, and through Safer Gambling Aotearoa. Support is available 24 hours a day.

Frequently asked questions

Can New Zealanders still play at SkyCity?

Yes. SkyCity’s land-based casinos in New Zealand remain open and operating. The separately branded SkyCity online casino is operated offshore through its Maltese subsidiary, SkyCity Malta Limited, rather than under a New Zealand casino licence.

Is the A$21 million South Australia penalty final?

Not yet. The A$21 million figure comes from an in-principle, non-binding agreement announced by South Australia’s Liquor and Gambling Commissioner, which said a binding settlement was expected to follow. The NZ$4.16 million and A$67 million penalties, by contrast, were finalised by the courts.