Problem Gambling Resources for New Zealanders

Gambling can be a fun activity that people indulge in occasionally without any problems. It’s popular in New Zealand, with more than 69% of the population participating in at least one form of gambling annually. However, it can spiral out of control and become an unhealthy obsession affecting your health, finances, relationships, and other aspects of your life. Then, it is referred to as problem gambling, gambling disorder, compulsive gambling, and other similar names. To help you recognise when gambling is a problem and understand what you can do to avoid this issue, this guide covers everything you need to know about compulsive gambling.

Recognising Problem Gambling

Problem gambling is a pattern of repeated gambling without caring about its negative consequences. The urge is persistent, so people with the disorder will always gamble regardless of their circumstances or the risk involved.

It can affect individuals of all ages, even children. About one in five New Zealanders experiences its effects due to their own or someone else’s gambling. However, these negative impacts can be avoided by recognising them early.

Common Warning Signs

While a gambling disorder has no obvious physical symptoms like other addictions, certain behavioural, emotional, and financial signs signal when gambling is becoming an issue. You might be aware of one or more of the following:

• Frequent thoughts about gambling
• Feeling the need to lie or be secretive about gambling
• Needing to spend more money to get the same thrills
• Trying to control or stop gambling without success
• Feeling compelled to gamble until you’ve spent your last dollar
• Gambling to escape problems or relieve depression, anxiety, and other emotional conditions
• Experiencing mood swings or irritability when not gambling
• Gambling more to recover lost money
• Avoiding events and neglecting responsibilities to gamble

The symptoms may subside occasionally, but without treatment, remission is temporary.

Impact on Mental Health and Finances

Gambling problems affect people differently, but mental and financial impacts are among the most common. Let’s explore them in detail.

Mental Health Impact

Problem gambling can affect your mental health. According to Sparrow, it can exacerbate mental health conditions like bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

It can even lead to suicidal thoughts—a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Gambling Studies found that among those with gambling problems:

• 31% thought about suicide
• 17% planned it
• 16% attempted it

Financial Impact

The financial harms of gambling range from simple impacts like not being able to afford basic needs to critical difficulties such as bankruptcy. These can lead to a cycle of debt where you may borrow from friends, family, credit cards, and even illegal lenders to repay your debts and fund your new bets, trapping you in a continuous cycle.

It doesn’t end there: if left untreated, compulsive gambling can compel you to commit crimes that can ruin your life. A study found that 43.3% of people with gambling problems have engaged in illegal behaviours like theft and fraud.

It’s not only the gambler who suffers, because the money they use to wager could’ve covered their family’s living expenses.

These financial impacts continue long after gambling has stopped because poor financial management, such as ruined credit, has lasting effects on health, relationships, and overall well-being.

Gambling and Māori & Pasifika Communities

Cultural norms and beliefs can increase or reduce the risk of problem gambling because they determine how gambling is perceived and practised in a community. For example, gambling and its harm are more prevalent in cultures where it is accepted or even viewed as entertainment, a social activity, or a skill.

A good example is the Māori and Pasifika communities in New Zealand, who are more than twice as likely to develop gambling problems than most of the population. A study exploring the link between their culture and higher risk of problem gambling identified the following:

• Collectivism/Whānau obligations: Pacific and Māori cultures have strong family and community ties, so individuals may feel obligated to support others financially in various ways, such as attending family events. Gambling is often seen as a quick way to get money.
• Gambling‑based fundraising: Communities use gambling activities to raise funds for communal causes, normalising it and embedding this risk into cultural practice.
• Gift‑giving traditions: Some events in Māori culture involve valuable gifts, encouraging people to gamble in hopes of accumulating enough money to meet the expectations.
• Patriarchy and gender roles: Men may feel pressured to provide for their family, which can lead to gambling. Women may gamble to escape poverty or stress, with stigma preventing them from seeking help.
• Beliefs about blessings & luck: Some individuals interpret gambling wins as signs of luck, divine blessing, or spiritual favour, which may fuel riskier gambling.

Additionally, lower socioeconomic areas where these communities typically live have a higher concentration of gaming machines due to targeted gambling marketing.

Several problem gambling service providers target Māori and Pacific communities, including Mapu Maia and Asian Family Services. We highlight them in the next section.

Support Services for Gambling Harm in NZ

In New Zealand, there are various support services for those struggling with gambling problems that they can turn to for support.

Free Counselling and Helplines

Trained counsellors with expertise in gambling addiction can help gamblers address underlying problems and develop coping mechanisms by designing a treatment programme tailored to their specific needs and circumstances.

If you or a loved one displays any warning signs, free counselling is available via the following helplines:

• Gambling Helpline: Call 0800 654 655 or text 8006
• Asian Family Services: Call 0800862342
• Māori Gambling Helpline: 0800 654 656
• Pasifika Gambling Helpline: 0800 654 657
• Gambling Debt Helpline: 0800 654 658
• Youth Gambling Helpline: 0800 654 659

Gambling counselling services support family members, helping them to cope with a loved one’s gambling problems and rebuild relationships.

Government and NGO Support

Furthermore, Kiwis can get gambling support through various government and non-governmental organisations, such as:

• Problem Gambling Foundation: Free counselling nationwide in multiple languages. Contact them on 0800 664 262, text at 5819, or email at [email protected]
• Ministry of Health/Te Whatu Ora: Provides problem gambling services via regional health outlets and funds local counselling and support programmes.
• Safer Gambling Aotearoa: Offers self-help tools, educational programmes, and community outreach efforts to promote safe gambling practices across NZ.
• Mapu Maia: Focuses on the Pasifika community, providing counselling in English, Samoan, and Tongan. You can call them on 0800212122.

Online and Anonymous Help

According to a study, gamblers are often reluctant to reach out for help because of the stereotypical perception that they are irrational, impulsive, aggressive, and irresponsible.

Fortunately, there are confidential treatment options for those who value their privacy with their gambling disorder. They are anonymous, available 24/7, and accessible from anywhere.

They include:

• Gamblers Anonymous: Offers a 12-step free and anonymous peer support programme through local and virtual meetings
• Gambling Helpline NZ: A 24/7 online chat and text support gambling help service
• Problem Gambling Foundation: Confidentially provides self-help guides, online counselling, and email support at pgf.nz

Tools to Stay in Control

A study on the impact of online gambling on mental health in NZ found that it is more addictive than offline because of its ease of access, 24/7 availability, and other factors. To minimise this risk, you can take advantage of the responsible gambling tools that are usually offered in reputable online gambling platforms. They include:

• Deposit limit: Users can set limits on the amount of money they deposit into their account daily, weekly, or monthly.

• Wager limit: Enables gamblers to limit the amount of money they can wager daily, weekly, or monthly.

• Loss limit: Helps bettors limit how much they can lose over a specified period.

• Session time limit: Lets users specify how much time they spend gambling over a period, after which the tool locks the player out of their account.

• Self-exclusion: Allows gamblers to block access to their gambling account for an extended period, ranging from several months to years.

• Cool-off period: Enables users to take a break from gambling for a specified period.

• Reality check: Allows bettors to set a pop-up that’ll periodically remind them how long they’ve been gambling.

To find these resources, check the settings page of your gambling platform or check the website footer for the “Responsible Gambling” button or something similar.

Self-Help Resources and Education

Self-help resources and education tools can help you understand your gambling behaviour, build coping skills, and take steps toward recovery without direct contact with a counsellor. We discuss them in this section.

Self-Assessment Tools

To evaluate gambling behaviour and identify potential problems, Kiwis can use the following self-assessment tools:

• Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI): A 9-question survey that categorises gamblers into non-problem, low-risk, moderate-risk, or problem gamblers.
• Safer Gambling Aotearoa Gambling Quiz: A free quiz that assesses gambling risk and recommends the next steps.
• Mini PGSI/PGSI‑MS: A shorter 3-question version of the PGSI for quick screening.

You can start with the mini-PGSI for a quick check, then the full PGSI and Gambling Helpline quiz for more insight.

Budgeting and Financial Tools

Budgeting and financial tools can help Kiwis struggling with gambling disorders to regain control over spending. They include:

• Sorted: A free, web-based budgeting tool offering an interactive budget planner and guides on debt, goal-setting, and spending insights.
• PocketSmith: A personal finance platform to help users track spending, budget for the future, and improve spending habits by providing insights into their spending patterns.
• Booster’s myBudgetPal: A free budgeting tool that connects to bank accounts and categorises expenses to make it easier for Kiwis to track their spending and work toward specific goals.
• WeMoney: A financial wellness platform that connects all financial accounts and offers resources to track spending and find personalised debt solutions.

Other budgeting and financial tools for Kiwis include Money Lover, Spendee, CashNav, and Pocketbook.

Support for Whānau (Families & Friends)

If you notice that a friend or family member has a gambling problem, urge them to seek help and support them in their recovery. However, you can’t force them to stop; the decision has to be theirs. Here are some tips on how to go about it:

• Kindly let them know that you believe they are gambling too much.
• Explain how it affects the family, focusing on gambling as the issue, not them.
• Help them find self-help groups, counselling services, and treatment programmes to aid in their recovery.

If they are not willing to acknowledge their issues, ask them to at least think about their gambling habits. Once they agree to seek help, support their recovery by encouraging them, helping them avoid triggers, and attending support groups with them.

Apart from the gambler, the emotional, financial, or relational impact of compulsive gambling can be distressing to those around them. If you’re starting to feel angry, anxious, or sad due to a loved one’s disorder, seek advice and guidance through the helplines we mentioned in the “Free Counselling and Helplines” section.

What to Do in a Crisis

The intensity of gambling problems can vary over time, becoming more or less severe depending on factors like stress and life events. In extreme cases, they can cause financial, emotional, or safety risks that require immediate help. Let’s highlight these situations and where to seek help.

When to Seek Urgent Help

People struggling with gambling problems may need urgent help and intervention if they face:

• Self-harm or suicidal thoughts
• Severe depression
• Feelings of violence against loved ones
• Overwhelming gambling debt
• Risk of homelessness
• Thoughts of using illegal means like theft to fund gambling
• Inability to meet basic needs

Mental Health Crisis Services (1737, Lifeline, etc.)

If you’re in a gambling crisis, you can get urgent help via the following mental health services:

• 1737 NZ: Call or text 1737
• Lifeline NZ: Call 0800543354
• Healthline: Call 0800611116
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 0508828865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
• Youthline: Call 0800376633 or text 234

All these services are free, confidential, and available 24/7.

Get Help Today

While you can stop gambling by yourself, seeking help lets you address the underlying causes as well and improves your chances of long-term recovery. Every gambling problem is unique, so you need a recovery programme designed for your needs and situation.

Plus, the psychological grip of addiction can be overwhelming, and professional support provides the tools, guidance, and accountability to break the cycle and regain control.

To get started, check for the warning signs that gambling is becoming a problem, use the self-assessment resources to evaluate your behaviour, and then contact a counsellor or helpline for guidance.