Gambling should never take priority over rent, food, bills, relationships or your wellbeing. If it is becoming difficult to stop, you do not need to wait for a crisis to get help. This guide is for adults aged 18 and over. Age eligibility at an operator may depend on its rules and your location.
Talk to someone in New Zealand
Call 0800 654 655 or text 8006. Visit the Gambling Helpline for confidential support.
Choose limits before you play
Set an amount you can afford to lose completely, without borrowing or moving money from essentials. Set a time limit as well. Avoid making new spending decisions while upset, tired or affected by alcohol. A win does not make the next result predictable, and a loss does not create an obligation for a game to pay you back.
Recognise a reason to pause
Chasing losses, hiding spending, increasing stakes to feel the same excitement or repeatedly breaking your own limits are reasons to stop and seek support. Gambling to escape distress can make financial and emotional pressure worse. Talk to someone you trust and consider using your bank’s gambling-payment controls where available.
Cooling-off and self-exclusion
Look for the responsible gambling controls in the operator’s account area. Cooling-off provides a break; self-exclusion is intended to prevent access for a specified period. Ask the operator what the restriction covers and how it is enforced. Do not open another account or switch operators to bypass an exclusion. Blocking software can provide another barrier alongside account and banking controls.
Supporting another person
Choose a calm moment to discuss the effects you have noticed, rather than arguing about a particular bet. Protect shared essential funds and avoid lending money to cover further gambling. The Gambling Helpline can support people affected by someone else’s gambling as well as the person gambling. You do not have to solve the problem alone.
Know the regulatory context
New Zealand’s online casino rules are changing. Check the Department of Internal Affairs information for players for the current position. A listing on a comparison site, an overseas licence or a familiar brand name does not by itself establish New Zealand authorisation.