Gambling should stay a form of entertainment that you choose, pay for and can walk away from. For some people it stops being that. This page explains what responsible gambling means in practice, the warning signs worth taking seriously, and where to find free, confidential help in New Zealand.
Do you or someone close to you need help?
You do not need to be in crisis to ask, and you do not need to have decided anything first. These services are free and confidential:
- Gambling Helpline: call 0800 654 655 or free text 8006, 24 hours a day, every day
- PGF Services: call 0800 664 262 for free counselling and support
- Salvation Army Oasis: call 0800 53 00 00 for free counselling
- 1737, Need to Talk?: call or text 1737 at any time to speak with a trained counsellor
If someone is in immediate danger, call 111.
What does responsible gambling mean?
Responsible gambling means deciding in advance how much money and time you are prepared to spend, and stopping when you reach that point. It also means being honest about the odds. Every casino game, online or in a venue, is designed so that the house keeps a share over time. Pokies, roulette and other games of chance cannot be beaten by a system, a strategy or a lucky streak.
A bonus does not change that. Wagering requirements mean most bonus money has to be bet many times over before it can be withdrawn.
Simple habits for safer play
- Set a budget before you start and treat it as the cost of entertainment
- Only gamble with money you can afford to lose, never with money for rent, bills or food
- Never borrow money or use credit to gamble
- Set a time limit and take regular breaks
- Do not try to win back what you have lost
- Avoid gambling when you are stressed, upset, or have been drinking
- Keep gambling as one of several things you do for fun, not the only one
Warning signs to watch for
Gambling harm usually builds up gradually, which makes it hard to notice from the inside. It is worth paying attention if you:
- spend more money or time gambling than you meant to
- chase losses
- gamble with money meant for essentials
- borrow money, or sell things, to gamble
- hide or play down how much you gamble
- feel anxious, guilty or irritable about gambling, or when you try to stop
- find that gambling is affecting your sleep, your work or your relationships
- have set a limit before and gone past it
If any of these sound familiar, that is reason enough to talk to someone.
Check your gambling habits
If you are unsure whether your gambling is a problem, a short self-check can help you see it more clearly. Safer Gambling Aotearoa, run by Health New Zealand, has tools and information for checking your gambling, and the Gambling Helpline can talk it through with you. Neither is a diagnosis. Both are free and private.
Tools that help you stay in control
Some controls depend on your own resolve, and some do not. The second kind tends to hold better.
- Bank gambling blocks. Several New Zealand banks can block gambling transactions on your cards. Ask your bank what it offers.
- Blocking software. BetBlocker is a free tool run by a charity that blocks gambling sites and apps on your devices. Gamban is a paid alternative.
- Venue exclusion. You can exclude yourself from casinos and pokie venues under the Gambling Act 2003. Multi-Venue Exclusion lets you exclude yourself from several venues at once, and a gambling harm service can arrange it with you.
- Deposit, loss and session limits. Where an online casino offers these, set them before your first deposit.
- Self-exclusion at an online casino. This closes your account with one operator. It does not stop you opening an account somewhere else, so use it alongside the tools above.
Where to get help
The Gambling Helpline is the best first call. It offers immediate support by phone, text and online, and can connect you with local services, including kaupapa Māori, Pacific, Asian and youth services.
PGF Services and Salvation Army Oasis both provide free face-to-face and phone counselling around the country. Free budgeting and financial help is also available through gambling harm services, and is often an easier place to start than the gambling itself.
For whānau and friends
Someone else’s gambling can do real damage to the people around them, and support services are there for you in your own right. You can call the Gambling Helpline about another person without them knowing.
Some things that help:
- Protect your own finances. Keep accounts separate where you can, and do not lend money or pay off gambling debts.
- Talk about what you have seen and how it affects you, without blame or ultimatums.
- Encourage the person to contact a support service, and offer to be there when they do.
- Look after yourself. Counselling for affected family members is free.
Age limit
Online casino gambling in New Zealand is restricted to adults aged 18 and over, and you must be 20 or over to enter a land-based casino. CasinoChecking.nz is intended only for adults.
New Zealand’s Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 sets up a licensing regime under which licensed operators must verify age and provide harm-minimisation tools such as spending limits and self-exclusion. That regime is still being put in place, so check what protections an operator actually offers before you sign up. The Department of Internal Affairs publishes information for online casino customers.
CasinoChecking.nz is an information site and cannot provide counselling. If you have a question about this page, or notice a support detail that is out of date, please tell us through our contact page. You can read more about who we are on our about us page.
