Dunedin’s Grand Casino Starts Licence Renewal Process

Dunedin’s Grand Casino, formerly the Dunedin Casino, has started work on renewing a licence to operate a casino.

When Dunedin Casino opened in 1999, it was given a 25-year casino venue licence. However, a change in New Zealand gambling legislation in 2003 meant the license was up for renewal after just 15 years.

Although the current licence does not expire until October 2024, the workload involved necessitates work to begin three years before, Grand Casino chief executive Dominique Dowding said.

The licence renewal is intended to start officially with putting the application together in the “next few months” and the plan is to file the licence renewal application early.

The application would outline the casino operations, how it protected customers, and also the economic and charitable benefits. Once filed, the Gambling Commission would hold a series of hearings, which would involve public forums.

There are only a limited number of licences that were granted to casinos in New Zealand and a group of people, which included Mr Thomas and current board member Stuart McLauchlan, had “worked hard” on ensuring Dunedin secured one.

Once approved, Grand Casino will be only the second casino to complete the licence renewal process. Christchurch Casino’s licence was the first to be renewed in 2019.

The Gambling Act 2003 had prevented any new venue licences from being granted and only allowed for existing casinos to renew their licences.

The Grand Casino was “reasonably confident” the licence would be renewed, Mr Thomas said.

“It is important for Dunedin, but we would be surprised and disappointed if we did not get it.”