Responsible gambling in New Zealand
Quick answer
Free, confidential support is available in New Zealand 24 hours a day on 0800 654 655, or by texting 8006. Account-level tools include deposit limits, loss limits, session reminders, time-outs and self-exclusion. Multi-Venue Exclusion covers Class 4 pokies venues, and your bank may offer a gambling transaction block.
The first thing to know
You do not need to have a serious problem to use these tools. Setting a deposit limit on the day you register, before anything has gone wrong, is the single most effective thing you can do. The tools are easier to use when you are calm than when you are chasing.
The helpline
Gambling Helpline — free, confidential, 24 hours a day:
- Phone 0800 654 655
- Text 8006
- Online at gamblinghelpline.co.nz
Support is available for the person gambling and for family members, and you can call to ask a question rather than to declare a crisis.
Safer Gambling Aotearoa provides national information and links to local services.
The tools inside an account
| Tool | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit limit | Caps how much you can add per day, week or month | Set it at registration |
| Loss limit | Stops you once net losses reach a figure | If you chase losses |
| Session reminder | Alerts you after a set period | If sessions run long on mobile |
| Time-out | A break, usually 24 hours to six weeks | If you need a pause rather than a stop |
| Self-exclusion | Blocks the account, typically six months or more | If you want to stop |
| Activity statement | Shows deposits and losses over a period | If you are unsure what you have spent |
Lowering a limit is usually immediate. Raising one often involves a cooling-off period, which is deliberate: the delay interrupts the impulse.
Self-exclusion, and why it does not travel
Offshore casino brands are separate companies. Excluding yourself from one does not exclude you from another, so if you self-exclude, do it at every operator you hold an account with, and add a card-level block at your bank.
Multi-Venue Exclusion for pokies venues
New Zealand has a long-standing process for land-based venues. Multi-Venue Exclusion (MVE) lets you exclude yourself from multiple Class 4 (pokies) venues through a single application, operated through regional providers such as the Salvation Army.
MVE covers venues, not online accounts. Online, the equivalent combination is account self-exclusion plus a bank-level gambling block.
Bank and card controls
Several New Zealand banks offer gambling transaction blocks on eligible cards. Kiwibank publishes one for eligible cards. A card block is powerful because it applies to every gambling merchant rather than one site, so it does not depend on your memory or your mood.
Combine it with:
- removing saved card details from casino accounts
- deleting casino apps and home-screen shortcuts
- unsubscribing from operator marketing
- turning off notifications from betting apps
Warning signs worth acting on
- Gambling more than you planned, repeatedly
- Borrowing money, or using money set aside for bills
- Chasing losses with bigger stakes
- Hiding gambling from people close to you
- Feeling restless or irritable when you cut back
- Gambling to escape stress, boredom or low mood
Any one of these is a good reason to set a limit. Two or more is a good reason to call the helpline.
What we do, and do not do
We publish the maths that lets you judge what you are being offered: RTP, volatility and the real cost of a wagering requirement. We do not publish systems, tipsters or "guaranteed win" content, because they do not exist. And we put the helpline on every page, not only on this one.
Gambling should be an entertainment cost you decided in advance. If it has become something else, the number above is answered 24 hours a day.
Play safely in New Zealand
Gambling should be entertainment, not a way to make money. Before you deposit anywhere:
- Set a money limit and a time limit for the session, and stop at it.
- Use the account deposit limits, session reminders and time-out tools every licensed operator must provide.
- Never borrow money to gamble and never try to win back a loss.
- Take a break if gambling stops feeling like a choice.
Free, confidential support is available 24/7 from the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655 (text 8006), or through Safer Gambling Aotearoa. You can also self-exclude from New Zealand pokies venues through the Multi-Venue Exclusion scheme.