A New Zealand man has been sentenced for robbing Auckland's SkyCity Casino in September 2023 after pleading guilty to non-aggravated robbery.

Eru Andrew Stevens, 58, handed a note to a casino cashier claiming he had a gun and demanding money. Staff complied, giving him NZ$50K (US$29,430) in NZ$50 bills while secretly alerting security. Stevens, who didn't conceal his identity, was arrested hours later.

Initially deemed mentally unfit to plea due to schizophrenia, Stevens received treatment at the Mason Clinic psychiatric facility. After his condition improved, he pled guilty to non-aggravated robbery in November 2024, as investigators confirmed he was unarmed during the incident.

Manukau District Court Judge Clare Bennett sentenced Stevens to two years and three months imprisonment, with credit for time served in psychiatric care. The judge acknowledged Stevens' long-standing mental health struggles when reducing the sentence from the maximum 10-year term.

The incident occurred amid broader challenges for SkyCity Casino. In September, the venue closed for five days after New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs found violations in their problem gambling monitoring systems. The investigation revealed 23 incidents where a patron gambled continuously without proper oversight between 2017 and 2021.

SkyCity Auckland, the company's flagship property, features over 2,100 slot machines, 100+ live dealer tables, and three hotels with more than 900 rooms. The group also operates casinos in Queenstown, Hamilton, and Adelaide, Australia.

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