Last updated: 15 July 2026

LynxHarbor is a hospitality and entertainment destination in Auckland. Our hotel includes a gaming lounge, and that brings obligations we take seriously. This page sets out what we do about them, in plain terms.

Who can enter

Entry to the gaming lounge is limited to people aged 20 and over. This is the legal minimum age for casino gaming everywhere in New Zealand under the Gambling Act 2003, and it is not negotiable.

Our staff will ask for photo identification whenever they are not certain someone is over 20, and they will refuse entry if none is produced. Nobody is offended by being asked. The rest of the hotel — rooms, restaurants, spa and pool — has no age restriction.

What our staff do

Everyone who works in the lounge is trained before their first shift and re-trained every year. That training covers how to spot a guest who is no longer enjoying themselves, how to start a conversation about it, and how to end one gracefully.

Our team will approach a guest if they see signs of distress, if someone has been playing for an unusually long stretch, or if someone appears to be intoxicated. They have the authority to stop service and to ask a guest to leave, without checking with a manager first. This is a normal part of the job here.

We do not offer credit. We do not lend money to guests. We do not cash cheques.

Signs that gambling has stopped being fun

Gambling is entertainment, and like any entertainment it should be something you can walk away from. It may be worth pausing if you notice any of these:

• Spending more money or more time than you meant to.
• Going back another day to win back what you lost.
• Borrowing money, selling things, or missing bills in order to play.
• Hiding how much you play from family or friends, or lying about it.
• Feeling anxious, guilty or irritable about your gambling.
• Playing to escape stress, loneliness or low mood.
• Other people telling you they are worried about it.

None of these means anything is wrong with you. They are common, they are well understood, and free help exists.

Free, confidential help

These services are free, available to anyone in New Zealand, and independent of us. You do not need a referral and you do not have to give your name.

• NZ Gambling Helpline — 0800 654 655. Free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Need to Talk? — call or text 1737. Free, any time, for any kind of distress.
• Problem Gambling Foundation — 0800 664 262. Free counselling for you or your family.
• Choice Not Chance — choicenotchance.org.nz. Information, self-tests and support options.
• Safer Gambling — safergambling.org.nz.

Family and friends can call these numbers too. You do not have to be the person gambling to ask for advice.

Excluding yourself

If you want to stop yourself entering our gaming lounge, you can ask us to bar you. This is called self-exclusion, it is free, and you can arrange it by speaking to any member of our team, by writing to [email protected], or by asking at reception.

You choose how long it lasts — from a few months up to two years. We will take your photograph so our staff can recognise you, keep it confidential, and refuse you entry to the lounge for the period you chose. You cannot cancel it early; that is the point of it. It does not affect your welcome anywhere else in the hotel.

If you would like someone else to be excluded because you are worried about them, talk to our duty manager. We can issue an exclusion ourselves where we have good reason to.

Advertising

We do not advertise gambling to people aged under 20. We do not suggest that gambling is a way to make money, solve financial problems, or gain social standing. We do not offer bonuses, credits or inducements to play, and we never will.

Complaints

If you think we have fallen short of anything on this page, please tell us. Write to [email protected] or ask for the duty manager. We will reply within ten working days.

You can also contact the Department of Internal Affairs, which regulates gambling in New Zealand, at dia.govt.nz.

Talk to us

LynxHarbor Hospitality Ltd
148 Tamaki Drive, Mission Bay, Auckland 1071
+64 9 486 0142
[email protected]
NZBN 9429048317206