Undercover gamblers sent to casinos and pokie venues revealed ''disappointing'' results, the Department of Internal Affairs says.
''Mystery shoppers'' posing as problem gamblers were sent to dozens of pubs and hotels as well as the country's six casinos, three of which are in Otago.
Of the visits to 102 nationwide venues between May and July, only one resulted in a staff intervention.
''Although we recognise challenges exist in approaching patrons about their gambling, the results are disappointing,'' Raj Krishnan, Internal Affairs gambling compliance director, said.
As part of the campaign, Dunedin Casino, Skycity Queenstown and Skycity Wharf Casino were each visited twice.
Reports for each casino noted their respective harm minimisation practices.
At Skycity Wharf casino the mystery shopper observed a staff member encouraging a patron by saying ''Gonna give it another go'', and ''Oh, that's awesome that you won'', while returning every 10 to 15 minutes to encourage the patron to win.
The mystery shopper, who gambled for 10 hours at Dunedin Casino, was not questioned by staff concerned over the length of her playing.
However the shopper noted ''staff were vigilant and kept a careful eye on all patrons, including myself''.
At Skycity Queenstown the undercover gambler waited 10 to 15 minutes for a staff member to respond to pressing the call-attendant button.
The visitor also noted the cashier made no comment when their card was declined.
At all the country's casinos, staff were observed visibly monitoring the gambling floor and at times engaging in friendly conversations.
However, no specific intervention was made.
Internal Affairs noted that while there were fewer casino visits than to pubs and hotels, the casino results showed that ''potential problem gamblers could slip through the cracks''.
The department said the results showed more work was needed to identify and intervene with people showing signs of problem gambling and new initiatives maybe needed alongside the upcoming Gambling Amendment Bill.
