Money pressure
Using money needed for essentials, borrowing, hiding transactions, unpaid bills or repeatedly trying to recover losses.
Help & safeguards
You are not alone.
Gambling harm can affect money, health, work, relationships and whānau. Free, confidential support is available across Aotearoa—whether you gamble or are concerned about someone else.
Help is freeSupport is confidentialAvailable 24/7
Talk to someone now.
Gambling Helpline Aotearoa is available anywhere in New Zealand, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In an immediate emergency, call 111. If you need mental-health support, free call or text 1737 at any time to speak with a trained counsellor.
Notice the change
Warning signs can be financial, emotional and social.
Loss of time
Sessions last longer or happen more often than intended; sleep, work, study or family commitments are displaced.
Emotional change
Irritability, shame, anxiety, secrecy, low mood or using gambling to escape stress and difficult feelings.
Chasing
Returning to win back money, increasing stakes or believing one more session will solve a financial problem.
Relationship strain
Conflict, broken trust, withdrawal from friends and whānau, or asking others to cover gambling-related costs.
Difficulty stopping
Repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back, thinking constantly about gambling or finding that limits are ignored.
Take action
Small barriers can create room to decide.
If gambling is causing concern, stopping completely may be the safest step. You can ask a support service to help you make a plan. Practical actions may include telling someone you trust, reducing access to money, removing gambling apps and saved payment methods, using account or venue exclusion tools and replacing gambling time with another planned activity.
Do not treat gambling as a way to make money, pay debt or recover earlier losses. Outcomes are uncertain and the operator has a built-in advantage. Avoid gambling when distressed, affected by alcohol or other drugs, or under financial pressure.
If you are supporting someone else, protect your own finances and wellbeing. You cannot force another person to change, but you can set boundaries, avoid lending money for gambling and seek support for yourself.
Specialist lines
Choose the support that fits.
- Māori Gambling Helpline: 0800 654 656
- Vai Lelei Pasifika Gambling Helpline: 0800 654 657
- Youth Gambling Helpline: 0800 654 659
- Gambling Debt Helpline: 0800 654 658
These numbers are published by Gambling Helpline Aotearoa. Service availability and names can change; check the official site if a number does not connect.
Verified resources
Official New Zealand help.
Safer Gambling Aotearoa provides information about warning signs, staying in control and free services near you.
Gambling Helpline Aotearoa provides phone, text and specialist support.
Healthify explains gambling harm and lists national and culturally specific support services.
This page is general information and cannot replace advice from a qualified health, counselling, legal or financial professional. Contacts were verified on 21 August 2026.