AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Workers at the casino in New Zealand's largest city have been forced to wear flea collars to work in a bid to ward off the blood-sucking critters, the New Zealand Herald reported Tuesday.

The alarming report follows news of similar infestations forcing nurses at some Auckland hospitals to adopt a similar course of action in December -- sparking a warning from health authorities against humans wearing the pet collars, which emit toxins.

Employees at SkyCity Casino were spraying themselves with insect repellent and wearing pet flea collars around their ankles to ward off fleas, according to Unite Union national director Mike Treen.

He said staff had been complaining about infestations on the casino floor "for years" and that although the business had been undertaking a cleaning process, "it doesn't seem to be working."

SkyCity management told The NZ Herald the casino floors were cleaned every day and it was not aware of any complaints about insect bites.

The facility, which also features a convention center, bars, restaurants and hotels, is the only casino in Auckland.

SkyCity Entertainment Group has casinos in three New Zealand cities -- Auckland, Hamilton and Queenstown -- while in Australia it owns properties in Darwin and Adelaide.