Every service named here is free, confidential and available whether or not you gamble online.
01
Treat the money the way you would treat tickets to a match: spent the moment you commit it, whether or not anything comes back. A figure chosen in advance survives a losing session far better than one negotiated halfway through it.
02
Every licensed operator carries deposit, loss and session tools in the account menu. Reductions apply straight away while increases are held for a cooling off period, so the limit you set while calm is the one that protects you later. It takes under a minute.
03
Staking more to recover a loss, playing later than intended, hiding sessions from people at home, borrowing to fund a deposit, or feeling short tempered when you cannot play. Money set aside for rent or groceries going into a cashier is the clearest signal of all.
04
Self-exclusion locks an account for a chosen term and cannot be reversed on impulse. The Department of Internal Affairs also runs multi-venue exclusion covering the physical casinos and pub gaming rooms, and venue staff will complete the paperwork with you on the spot.
05
Gambling Helpline NZ answers on 0800 654 655 around the clock. The Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand offers free counselling and family support on 0800 664 262, and Salvation Army Oasis adds financial mentoring on 0800 530 000. Support for whanau is available even when the person gambling is not ready to call.
06
Nobody under 18 should be here. We rank operators partly on how easy their limit tools are to find, and no ranking on this site is a recommendation to gamble more than you had already decided to spend.