Office sweepstakes are a popular way to enjoy an event when you can't go in person, but if your office prizes include firearms, alcohol, tobacco or vouchers for sexual services, you're breaking the law.
With the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, employees here and across the ditch will be watching the race, then waiting patiently for sweepstake money and prizes to be handed out to a lucky winner.
Without trying to spoil the fun, the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has released rules on how to keep your office sweepstake within the law.
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Not surprisingly, firearms, tobacco and "vouchers for sexual services" are prohibited prizes.
Prizes cannot equal more than $500 in value, and all money collected must be returned as prizes.
Also, if the person running your office sweepstake assumes they'll get paid for it, they're out of luck too, organisers are not allowed to pocket any fee or profit according to the Gambling Act.
Any breaches of the rules can result in a fine of up to $1,000.
The DIA said these rules are to ensure gambling is "fair, honest and New Zealanders benefit from it".
"The hurdles are not hard and make a lot of sense," they said, "make sure you understand and comply with the rules."
There are comprehensive rules on the DIA website, here.
Newshub.
