New Zealand Man Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Casino Robbery

Posted on: December 2, 2024, 04:06h. 

Last updated on: December 3, 2024, 09:30h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

A New Zealand man will remain behind bars after a judge accepted his guilty plea related to a robbery that occurred in September 2023 at Auckland’s SkyCity Casino.

SkyCity Auckland New Zealand casino robbery
SkyCity Auckland was the site of a NZ$50K robbery in September 2023. The perpetrator, who has severe mental illness, was sentenced this week to prison. (Image: SkyCity Entertainment Group)

Eru Andrew Stevens, 58, has a long rap sheet and a deep history of mental illness, including schizophrenia. Stevens claims he was having a schizophrenic episode on Sept. 9, 2023, when he entered the SkyCity casino and proceeded to the cashier cage where he demanded money.

Hand the money over. I’ve got a gun,” the note he handed to a cashier read.

Cage staff adhered, handing over a stack of NZ$50 bills. The cashier, however, additionally hit a button under the desk notifying security of an emergency incident.

Stevens reportedly didn’t respond when cashiers asked how much cash he wanted. After he initially started walking away from the casino cage, he swiftly turned around, grabbed the stack of money, and left the premises.

Casino workers said Stevens made off with around NZ$50K (US$29,430).

Quickly Apprehended 

Because Stevens was well known to law enforcement, and he didn’t conceal his identity and was captured on surveillance video, police managed to track him down and arrest him without incident just hours later.

A judge initially ruled that Stevens was mentally unfit to enter a plea to the charges of aggravated robbery with a weapon. He was placed in custody and received treatment at the Mason Clinic, a psychiatric facility.

Over the last year, Stevens’ condition improved. In November, he pleaded guilty to nonaggravated robbery after law enforcement determined he didn’t have a weapon during the robbery.

Manukau District Court Judge Clare Bennett sentenced Stevens to two years and three months imprisonment, with credit for time served while locked down in the psychiatric hospital.

It’s clear that you have suffered mental health issues for a very long period of time. That is not your fault. It is an illness,” said Bennett.

Nonaggravated robbery comes with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Bennett said she deducted time for his guilty plea and mental health challenges. 

SkyCity Problems 

In September, SkyCity shuttered its casino floor for five days to resolve regulatory violations. SkyCity was determined by New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs to have failed to adequately monitor guests for problem gambling.

The probe stemmed from a patron complaint after he was allowed to gamble for hours on end during 23 incidences between 2017 and 2021.

“DIA’s investigation identified 23 incidents where the customer was able to gamble continuously at the casino without detection by SkyCity’s technological system for identifying continuous play and without appropriate staff oversight or interaction,” the government agency said.

SkyCity admitted to failing to uphold its duties of being a responsible gaming host.

SkyCity Auckland has over 2,100 slot machines and more than 100 live dealer table games. The resort features three hotels with over 900 guestrooms.

Along with its flagship Auckland property, SkyCity Entertainment owns and operates SkyCity Queenstown and SkyCity Hamilton. The group also runs SkyCity Adelaide in Australia.