If you are reading this because something feels wrong, the numbers are directly below. You do not need to have decided anything before you call, and you do not need things to have reached a crisis point.
The rest of this page covers which controls actually hold, how common this is in New Zealand, what the law does and does not require of operators, and what to do if the person you are worried about is someone else.
The controls, ordered by how well they hold
That ordering is close to the reverse of how the industry presents these tools, and the reason is simple: the controls a casino talks about first are the ones the casino owns.
A bank gambling block covers every operator at once and does not depend on any of them. Device blocking software does the same from the other direction, closing the gap where a card block cannot reach. Both are free, and both normally carry a delay before they can be lifted — which is the feature, not the inconvenience.
Venue exclusion under the Gambling Act 2003 is the part of the New Zealand system with real force behind it: an order the venue must issue on request, with a fine on the venue that breaches it, and Multi-Venue Exclusion covering many pokie venues through a single conversation. Our self-exclusion guide sets out exactly how to arrange one and what the process involves.
Deposit and session limits are worth setting, and worth setting before the first deposit rather than after a losing session. They are a first line rather than a last one.
Online self-exclusion sits last. It covers one account at one website, possibly not that operator’s sister brands, and nothing stops a new account opening elsewhere. No operator serving New Zealand is currently licensed here, so none is obliged to offer it, honour it, or check before reopening an account when a period expires.
One point worth pressing. If you have set a limit before and passed it, the answer is a stronger control rather than a firmer intention. That is not a comment on willpower — it is what the ordering above is for.
How common this is
Harm falls unequally. Māori, Pacific and Asian peoples are each more than twice as likely to experience moderate to severe gambling harm than the European and other population, and people on lower incomes are disproportionately affected. Research also shows higher concentrations of pokie machines in lower socioeconomic areas.
Free services exist specifically for this, including kaupapa Māori, Pacific, Asian and youth-specific services through PGF and others. If any of the above describes your situation, you are not an unusual case and the people answering the phone will not be surprised.
Signs worth paying attention to
None of these is a diagnosis and this is not a test.
- Are you gambling with money meant for bills, rent or food?
- Are you trying to win back what you have lost?
- Are you being less than open with people about how much you gamble?
- Is it affecting your sleep, your work, or your relationships?
- Are you gambling to change how you feel, rather than for entertainment?
- Have you set a limit before and passed it?
If any of those land, that is worth a phone call. Not because things have reached a crisis point, but because the services are free and talking to someone early is considerably easier than talking to them late.
Our responsible gaming page has further information.
What the law actually requires
Three things are commonly stated about the New Zealand position that are now out of date.
“Gambling here is governed by the Gambling Act 2003.” Partly. The Gambling Act still governs land-based casinos, pokie venues and the exclusion regime. But online casino gambling is now governed by the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, which came into force on 1 May 2026, with detailed regulations from 3 July. Expressions of interest for licences opened on 17 July 2026, followed by an auction and full applications, for up to 15 licences. From 1 December 2026, operators that have not entered the process must stop serving New Zealanders. A public Department of Internal Affairs register is expected in 2027.
“Offshore play is fine as long as the operator holds a Malta, Curaçao or Kahnawake licence.” The Curaçao master licence system was abolished on 1 January 2025 and replaced with direct licensing, so any page citing a Curaçao master licence number as a current credential is describing a superseded regime. More importantly, the jurisdiction on the footer tells you which rules apply to your account — and none of those regulators is a New Zealand authority.
“All responsibility for play falls on the user.” That is the industry’s framing rather than the legal position, and the 2026 Act does the opposite. Licensed New Zealand operators will be required to:
- Provide self-exclusion effective within 24 hours
- Offer deposit, spend and session limits, prompted at sign-up and monthly thereafter
- Apply a 24-hour cooling-off period before any limit increase takes effect, with reductions applying immediately
- Verify age, with a minimum of 18
- Monitor player behaviour for indicators of harm
- Cap bonuses and inducements at the lesser of NZ$100 or 200% of the deposit
- Stop accepting credit card deposits
- Remove autoplay and prevent more than one pokie running at once
Until 2027, none of that binds the operators available to you, because no online casino currently holds a New Zealand licence and no New Zealand authority can require anything of them. Our New Zealand gambling laws guide sets out the timeline in full.
Many offshore brands hold licences in several countries and run different terms in each. A wagering requirement, a bonus cap or a self-exclusion scheme that looks unusually good may belong to a regulated market whose rules do not reach New Zealand. Britain’s cap on wagering requirements for new promotions, for example, applies to British customers of a British-licensed operator and to nobody else.
Check the terms on the version of the site you can actually reach, and check which currency they are quoted in. Comparison pages routinely mix jurisdictions up.
If someone you know is struggling
PGF Services and the Gambling Helpline both support whānau, partners and friends. You can call on your own behalf, about someone else, without them knowing and without having to persuade them of anything first.
Some things that help in practice:
- Keep your own finances separate, and do not cover losses. Paying off a debt removes the consequence without removing the cause.
- Say what you have noticed rather than what you have concluded, and avoid making it an ultimatum.
- Get help with the money side separately. PGF offers free financial mentoring, and it is often easier to start there than with the gambling itself.
- Look after yourself too. Support for affected family members is a service in its own right, not a lesser version of the real thing.
If you are concerned about someone at a pokie venue or a casino, you can raise it with the venue operator directly. Where staff have reasonable grounds to believe a person is experiencing harm they must approach them and offer information, and they may issue an exclusion order. Bringing something concrete such as bank statements helps.
One honest note about this site
This is a site about online casinos. That is a real conflict of interest on a page like this one, and pretending otherwise would be worse than naming it.
What that means in practice. No operator is recommended anywhere on this page and none will be. No link on it goes to a gambling operator. The support services listed are publicly funded and independent of the industry. The controls above are ranked by how well they work, not by who provides them.
Somebody reading a page about staying in control should not be handed a sign-up link at the end of it.
If you find yourself reading casino comparison pages while also reading this one, that is worth noticing.
Our about page explains how we check things, and our contact page is the way to tell us if something here is wrong or out of date.
This page is published for information. It is not legal, financial, medical or clinical advice, and nothing on it is a diagnosis or a screening test. It describes the controls available in New Zealand and where to find help; it does not replace speaking to a counsellor, and the services listed here are free.
No gambling operator is recommended anywhere on this page, and no link on it goes to an operator. The support services named are publicly funded and independent of the gambling industry.
Bank policies, exclusion procedures, prevalence figures and legislation change. Everything here was checked when the page was last reviewed. If something does not match what you are told by a bank, a venue or a support service, take their answer over ours.
If gambling is causing harm to you or someone close to you, free confidential support is available 24 hours a day on 0800 654 655, or by free text to 8006. If things feel urgent, call or text 1737. In an emergency, call 111.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I get help right now?
The Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655 or free text 8006, at any hour. PGF Services on 0800 664 262 for counselling and financial mentoring. Salvation Army Oasis on 0800 53 00 00. All free, all confidential, and all support whānau and friends as well as the person gambling.
What is the single strongest thing I can do?
A gambling block at your own bank. It covers every operator at once, does not depend on any casino, and usually carries a stand-down period before it can be lifted. Westpac NZ and Kiwibank offer one; ask your own bank, because availability is changing.
Does self-exclusion at a casino block me from all gambling sites?
No. It covers that operator only, and possibly not its sister brands. It is the weakest control on the list, not the strongest.
What blocks all gambling sites at once?
Device blocking software. BetBlocker is free and run by a registered charity; Gamban is a paid alternative. Install it on your phone as well as your computer.
What if pokie venues are the problem?
Multi-Venue Exclusion lets you exclude yourself from many venues in your area with one request, arranged through any gambling harm service. Venue exclusion under the Gambling Act 2003 carries legal weight, with a fine on the venue that breaches an order.
Is it true that all responsibility falls on the player?
No. That is the industry’s framing. The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 places substantial obligations on licensed operators, including mandatory limits, behaviour monitoring and self-exclusion effective within 24 hours. Those obligations start with the licensed market in 2027.
How common is gambling harm in New Zealand?
Around 186,000 people are personally affected, with about 61,000 gambling at moderate or more serious levels and a further 125,000 experiencing some level of harm. About one in five adults will be affected at some point, by their own gambling or someone else’s.
Can I get help for someone else’s gambling?
Yes. Both the Gambling Helpline and PGF support whānau, partners and friends, and you can call without the person knowing.
Are the support services connected to any casino?
No. They are free, confidential and funded through the public health system.
