Gambling help in NZ by phone, text and chat
- Call 0800 654 655, free, at any hour.
- Send a free text to 8006. The text line is anonymous and brings a personalised reply from a counsellor.
- Use the chat on the service's own website.
Four specialist services run alongside it, for Māori, for Pasifika, for people in debt and for young people.
Who it is for
The service says it is there for anyone worried that gambling might be a problem for them, for people concerned about someone else's gambling, and for those who want a safe place to talk. It also points to face-to-face services.
Safer Gambling Aotearoa
Safer Gambling Aotearoa is the Government's campaign to reduce gambling harm, and the national freephone line serves it. Its website covers three areas:
- the signs of gambling harm, for your own gambling or someone else's;
- ways to stay in control once you have spotted the signs;
- how to start a conversation with someone you trust.
It also lists support services near you and explains how some games, such as Lotto, work.
Tools a licensed casino must provide
Licensed casinos will have to give customers deposit, time and spend limits, breaks in play and self-exclusion. The details are under online casino player protections, and DIA will accept complaints about licensed casinos that fall short.