Last updated: 24 June 2026

Responsible gambling

Gambling is meant to be entertainment. The moment it turns into a way to chase losses, cover bills or escape stress, it has stopped being a game. This page is here for two reasons: to point you to free help in New Zealand, and to show you the tools that keep play under control before it becomes a problem.

You do not have to hit rock bottom to ask for help. If you have lied about how much you spend, borrowed to keep playing, or felt that itch to win it all back, that is enough reason to reach out today.

Free help in New Zealand

Every service below is confidential and costs nothing. They are run for Kiwis, by people who deal with this every day.

• Gambling Helpline NZ, call 0800 654 655 or text 8006, any hour of any day (gamblinghelpline.co.nz).
• Problem Gambling Foundation, 0800 664 262, free face-to-face and phone counselling (pgf.nz).
• Salvation Army Oasis, 0800 530 000, counselling and recovery support.
• Mapu Maia, 0800 21 21 22, Pasifika-led gambling-harm support.
• Asian Family Services, 0800 862 342, support in several Asian languages.
• Safer Gambling Aotearoa, tools and guidance at safergambling.org.nz.

Tools you should use from day one

Deposit limits

Set a daily, weekly or monthly cap on what you can put in. Decide the number when you are calm, not mid-session. A good licensed casino lets you lower a limit instantly; raising it should take a cooling-off delay.

Time-outs and reality checks

A time-out locks you out for a short stretch, a day, a week, a month. Reality checks pop up to remind you how long you have been playing. Both sound small. Both break the trance that keeps you clicking.

Self-exclusion

This shuts your account for a set period or for good. Use it if limits are not enough. Pair it with a blocker such as Gamban on your devices so a quiet evening does not undo the decision.

Knowing the warning signs

Watch for spending more than you planned, playing to win back losses, hiding it from people close to you, or feeling restless when you cannot play. If two or more of these sound familiar, talk to one of the services above before your next deposit.

We weigh safer-gambling tools heavily in our scoring, see how we rate casinos and how we test them. Questions about anything on this page? Get in touch.