The High Court has confirmed a civil pecuniary penalty of NZD 5.06 million against Christchurch Casinos Limited for breaches of New Zealand’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009, following the Department of Internal Affairs’ settlement of civil proceedings announced in August 2025. The penalty relates to compliance failures between December 2018 and December 2023. The Department’s investigation identified deficiencies in account monitoring, enhanced customer due diligence, suspicious activity reporting, record keeping, and the overall effectiveness of the casino’s AML/CFT programme, with some shortcomings described as systemic. The Court noted the breaches were not deliberate, but found Christchurch Casinos did not take sufficient action after it became aware of the issues.
Department of Internal Affairs 2025-10-20
New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs secures High Court confirmation of NZD 5.06 million AML/CFT penalty against Christchurch Casinos
The High Court has imposed a NZD 5.06 million penalty on Christchurch Casinos Limited for breaches of New Zealand’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009, following a settlement with the Department of Internal Affairs. The penalty addresses compliance failures from December 2018 to December 2023, including deficiencies in account monitoring, customer due diligence, suspicious activity reporting, record keeping, and the overall AML/CFT programme. The Court acknowledged the breaches were not deliberate but criticized the casino for insufficient action upon awareness of the issues.