When to reach out
If gambling is taking more of your time, money or attention than you intended, the right time to reach out is now. Common signs include chasing losses, gambling for longer than planned, hiding activity from people close to you and borrowing money to keep playing. None of these are personal failings, they are signals that the activity has shifted from entertainment to something heavier.
Reaching out earlier makes the path forward shorter. The Gambling Helpline NZ on 0800 654 655 is free, confidential and available 24 hours a day. There is no judgement on the other end of the line.
Local support services
The Problem Gambling Foundation runs in person services in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and most other major centres. Sessions are free and the foundation also offers culturally specific services for Maori, Pacific and Asian communities.
Salvation Army Oasis Centres offer face to face support and group programmes in 13 locations across New Zealand. Mapu Maia provides Pasifika specific support nationwide. All of these services are free and confidential.
Financial first aid
Money worries often arrive at the same time as gambling worries. MoneyTalks on 0800 345 123 is a free service that can help with budgeting, talking to creditors and accessing hardship support. The Citizens Advice Bureau is available in person and online for general financial advice.
If you have credit card or BNPL debt linked to gambling, contact the lender and ask about hardship arrangements. Most major NZ banks now offer self service gambling transaction blocks in their apps which is an effective practical step alongside self exclusion at casino level.
Self exclusion as a practical tool
Self exclusion blocks your casino account from logins and gameplay for six months up to permanent. The Gambling Helpline can also coordinate multi site self exclusion through Safer Gambling NZ for players who use several brands. Block casino payment categories at your bank for the same period to remove the deposit option entirely.
Removing the casino bookmark from your browser, deleting any saved login details and adding a free DNS filter at the home router level all add small but real friction. Each step on its own is small, the combination is meaningful.
Support for whanau and friends
If you are worried about someone close to you, the Gambling Helpline runs a dedicated line for friends and family. Counsellors can offer guidance on how to start a conversation that supports rather than alienates. They can also help connect the wider whanau to ongoing support.
Listening rather than confronting is usually the best opening. Ask open questions, offer to attend an appointment together and avoid framing the conversation as ultimatum. Recovery is rarely linear and steady support over months matters more than a single intervention.
Crisis support
If you or someone close to you is in immediate distress, call or text 1737 to reach Need to Talk, the free national mental health support service. Lifeline Aotearoa on 0800 543 354 and Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 828 865 are also available 24/7.
If there is immediate danger, call emergency services on 111. Crisis support sits alongside, not instead of, the gambling specific services and the two work well together.
Online and text based options
If a phone call feels too much, online chat and text options are available through the Gambling Helpline website. The chat is staffed by the same trained counsellors and offers the same confidentiality. For some people, typing first and talking later is the easier route.
Online forums like the Choice Not Chance community connect Kiwi players who are working through the same issues. Peer support is a valuable complement to professional services.
What Slot Bunny does
We link the Gambling Helpline NZ on every page, supports immediate cooling off and self exclusion through account settings or live chat and never sends marketing communications to accounts under self exclusion. The responsible gambling team is trained to handle requests without judgement and to confirm exact timing in writing.
If you ever find a process unclear or a tool hard to find, contact support and we will fix it. Player feedback drives improvements faster than any internal review.