If gambling is causing problems for you or someone close to you, the fastest free option is Gambling Helpline Aotearoa: call 0800 654 655 (24/7), free text 8006, or use the web chat on their site. Help is confidential, you do not need to have “hit rock bottom” to use it, and family members can call too. Below you will find who to contact, how self-exclusion works step by step, and how to support someone you care about.
Get help now
| Service | Contact | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Gambling Helpline Aotearoa | 0800 654 655, free text 8006, web chat at gamblinghelpline.co.nz | Immediate, confidential support any time of day or night |
| Specialist helplines (via Gambling Helpline) | Call 0800 654 655 or visit the website | Māori, Pasifika, Youth and Debt support |
| PGF Services | pgf.nz | Support for people who gamble and for affected family and friends |
| Health NZ gambling harm programmes | healthnz.govt.nz | Finding publicly funded services near you |
| Safer Gambling Aotearoa | safergambling.org.nz | Information and resources to help you think about your gambling |
If you are in immediate danger or worried about your safety or someone else’s, call 111.
What happens when you call
The service is confidential. You can simply explain what is going on and talk through options at your own pace. Depending on what you need, that might be practical ways to cut back, help with money worries, a referral to a local support service, or information on setting up exclusion. You stay in charge of what happens next.
Signs it might be time to reach out
You do not need to tick every box. Reaching out early is easier than waiting. Common signs include:
- Gambling more than you meant to, or for longer than you planned
- Chasing losses or feeling you have to win money back
- Borrowing, using savings, or falling behind on bills because of gambling
- Hiding gambling or lying about it to people close to you
- Feeling anxious, low or irritable about gambling, or when you try to stop
- Trying to cut back and finding you cannot
For a fuller self-check and day-to-day safer gambling habits, see our responsible gambling guide.
How to self-exclude from venues
New Zealand law allows a person to be excluded from a gambling venue for up to two years. There are two types: self-exclusion (you ask for it) and venue-initiated exclusion (the venue decides). Key rules, from the Department of Internal Affairs guidelines:
- Each order covers the venue that issues it. There is no automatic blanket across all venues.
- You can ask in person, in writing or by phone.
- If you breach an order you can be fined $500 and police may remove you.
- You cannot collect winnings while you are excluded.
Step by step
- List every venue where you gamble. Include pubs and clubs with pokies and any casino. If you play pokies in the Auckland CBD, our Auckland CBD pokies guide can help you identify venues.
- Decide on the length. Many people choose the full two years.
- Contact each venue. Ask the manager for an exclusion order. Bring photo ID, and ask what the venue needs from you (for example, a photo so staff can recognise you).
- For SkyCity Auckland, SkyCity says self-exclusion and third-party exclusion can be arranged on 09 363 6000.
- Ask for help with multiple venues. Gambling Helpline and PGF Services can help you work through excluding from several venues.
- Keep a record of each order, including the date it starts and ends.
Online gambling
Under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, licensed operators must let customers set spending limits. From 1 December 2026 unlicensed operators must stop offering online casino gambling to New Zealand customers, and the DIA says the regime will not be fully operational until 2027. Exclusion arrangements across online operators were still being set up at the time of writing, so check each account’s settings for limits, time-outs or closure, and ask Gambling Helpline about blocking software. See online pokies in New Zealand for more on the new rules.
Extra barriers that help
- Ask your bank about blocking gambling transactions.
- Install gambling-blocking software on phones and computers.
- Limit cash on hand and let someone you trust help manage money for a while.
- Unsubscribe from gambling marketing and leave loyalty programmes.
Supporting a family member or friend
Gambling harm affects partners, children, parents and friends as much as the person who gambles. You are entitled to support for yourself, whether or not they are ready to change.
Starting the conversation
- Choose a calm moment, not straight after a loss or an argument.
- Use “I” statements: “I’ve noticed we’re behind on the power bill and I’m worried.”
- Focus on specific behaviour and its effect, not on labels.
- Expect denial or anger at first. One conversation rarely fixes things.
Protecting yourself and your household
- Separate your finances where you can, and secure cards and savings.
- Do not pay off gambling debts without getting advice first; the Debt helpline through Gambling Helpline can help.
- If someone is gambling at SkyCity, the casino lists third-party exclusion as an option via 09 363 6000; ask Gambling Helpline how it works before you apply.
- Look after your own wellbeing and keep in touch with people who support you.
What not to do
- Do not cover up for them or lend money for gambling.
- Do not try to manage their gambling by controlling everything they do; set boundaries for your own life instead.
After you reach out
Recovery is rarely a straight line. Slips happen, and they are a reason to reconnect with support rather than give up. If you do return to gambling at some point, our guides to how pokies actually work and SkyCity Auckland’s host responsibility explain the safeguards available. But if gambling is hurting you, the most important step is the first call: 0800 654 655.