SkyCity Entertainment is facing a U.S.-funded class action lawsuit connected to player losses in its Malta-operated SkyCity Online casino, with the legal action mentioning...
SkyCity faced a rejection of its $13.1m casino duty appeal
The High Court of Australia has rejected SkyCity‘s appeal and announced that the company has to pay AU$ 13.1 million in casino duty.
SkyCity Entertainment, founded in 1996, is a gambling and entertainment company based in Auckland, New Zealand. In July, SkyCity announced it would be closing its casino for five days after a customer complaint that stated that players were able to gamble continuously without SkyCity’s technological system’s detection.
The most recent legal action against SkyCity was connected to customer loyalty points. SkyCity appealed how the tax was applied to the points used in gaming machines as part of its casino duty agreement.
The high court rejected the appeal and shared details on how taxes must be used. Moreover, SkyCity may be required to pay penalty interest on an extra casino duty of more than $25.3 million, depending on a coming decision from the Supreme Court. This decision brings ending to a long-standing dispute between the company and the Treasurer of South Australia.
Jason Walbridge, SkyCity’s CEO, said:
“This is a long-running matter involving highly technical tax issues regarding the calculation of casino duty. Given the complexities, both parties decided to seek declaratory relief through the court. We look forward to the resolution of this matter and will continue to work with the RevenueSA to achieve this.”
Previously, the New Zealand High Court fined the company NZ$4.16 million for historic breaches of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009.
SkyCity Entertainment has shared its results for the year ending June 30, 2025, posting a net profit of NZ$29.2m (US$17m).
Although the number still fell short of market...
