Legal

Responsible entertainment rules

Last updated: 13/10/2026

These rules apply to every programme we run, and in particular to the casino-style formats. They exist so that nobody at your event is in any doubt about what the activities are, who they are for and what happens if a guest would rather not take part.

This document is an informational template. Have it checked by a lawyer in New Zealand before you rely on it.

1. Adults only

Participation in casino-style activities is for guests aged 20+. Our programmes as a whole are written and run for adult guests. The organiser may ask a guest to confirm their age, and a person who cannot or will not do so is not admitted to those activities. We do not run programmes for children and no programme in our catalogue includes minors.

2. Chips are props, and there are no stakes

Chips and points exist for scoring and atmosphere. They carry no denomination. They are not sold, cannot be bought, cannot be topped up during the evening, and are never exchanged for money, goods, vouchers or valuable prizes. No stake of money or property is placed on any table. The result of an activity gives a participant no financial benefit of any kind. Where a format has scoring, the prize is symbolic: a printed certificate and the host reading out the result.

3. This is not gambling

Because there are no stakes and nothing of value to win, the service is not gambling within the meaning of the Gambling Act 2003, and it requires no gambling licence. We do not operate an online casino, we do not take deposits, and we do not run any activity that can be played over the internet. What a client buys from us is the organisation of an event.

4. Taking part is voluntary

No guest has to join any activity. Watching, keeping someone company at the table or skipping the activities entirely are all normal ways to spend the evening, and our hosts are briefed to invite rather than to press. A guest can leave a table at any point without explaining why, and a team can continue a round with one person fewer without losing points.

5. Running the evening safely

Alcohol is not part of any programme and is never supplied or served by us: bar service, if there is one, is arranged by the client with the venue or a caterer. Our crew can stop an activity where behaviour makes it unsafe or unpleasant for other guests, and will tell the client's contact person straight away when that happens. Nothing is rigged above head height except by our own technician, and open flame is not used in our scenography.

6. If casino-style activities are not right for your group

For some people, gambling-themed entertainment is unwelcome, including anyone who has had difficulty with gambling in the past. There is no need to explain anything to us: say that casino-style tables are not wanted and we will propose something else. Several formats in the catalogue have no casino motif at all, for example:

Quiz Hall - Seven rounds, buzzers, a host and a screen. The simplest night we run.
Company Picnic - A daytime programme on the grass: four points, lawn games, an acoustic set.
Illusionist Set - Close-up magic at the tables, then one staged set for the room.
Teamwork Circuit - Eight stations, teams of six, one scoreboard and a timed final.

The full list is in the programme catalogue.

7. Information and help

As general information, and without claiming any partnership with them: in New Zealand the Gambling Helpline can be reached on 0800 654 655, and information is published at gamblinghelpline.co.nz. If gambling is a concern for you or for someone close to you, that service exists for exactly that, and it is free and confidential.

8. Contact

Questions about participation, these rules or an alternative format: [email protected], Claim the Night, 385 High Street, Central Dunedin, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand.