Take a step before gambling becomes harder to control

Gambling can become difficult to control before it is obvious to other people. This page explains warning signs, practical steps you can take, and where to seek help. It does not promote gambling services.

Signs gambling may be becoming a problem

Look at what gambling is doing to your behaviour and daily life. Warning signs include:

• spending more time or money gambling than you planned;
• repeatedly trying to cut back or stop, then returning to gambling;
• chasing losses by gambling again to try to win money back;
• borrowing money, selling possessions or using money meant for bills to gamble;
• hiding gambling, losses or debts from people close to you;
• missing work, study, family commitments or sleep because of gambling;
• feeling restless or irritable when you cannot gamble;
• continuing even when gambling is causing conflict, debt or distress.

You do not need to wait for several signs, or for a crisis, before asking for help. Gambling is not a way to earn money and cannot solve money problems. Chasing a loss can increase the amount you lose.

What to do now

If gambling is affecting you, take a practical step before the next session: tell someone you trust what is happening and ask them to stay with you while you seek help. If you can, make it harder to gamble in the immediate term—for example, step away from the device or place you use, and ask someone you trust to help you avoid access to money you would otherwise gamble.

Gambling Helpline NZ is the help service identified for this page. Contact it using its official contact details. No verified address, phone number or website address was available for publication here, so none is supplied. If you cannot locate the service’s official details, ask a trusted person to help you find them rather than relying on an unverified number or link.

If you are supporting someone else, describe the specific changes you have noticed and offer to help them contact the service. Avoid lending money to cover gambling losses.

Limits, exclusion and age

No verified New Zealand information was available for this page about the market’s age threshold or the self-limitation and self-exclusion tools available from operators. That means this page cannot give a reliable age figure or name a particular tool or exclusion period. Check the applicable rules and the operator’s terms before relying on any age check, limit or exclusion option. Do not assume that a tool is available or that it blocks access everywhere.

New Zealand’s online casino rules are changing. Licensed operators must implement stricter age and identity verification systems. Advertising by licensed operators is permitted only under tight rules, and sponsorships are prohibited. Online casino gambling services must not be advertised to New Zealand customers; advertising to people in New Zealand is prohibited during the transition period.

Providers that have not applied for a licence must cease conducting online casino gambling in New Zealand by 1 December 2026. If a licence application is declined, the provider must cease all online casino gambling operations in New Zealand and exit the market. Operators without a licence may face enforcement action and fines of up to NZ$5 million. These rules do not replace the practical steps above or make gambling a way to earn income.

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