If gambling has stopped feeling fun, free help is available across New Zealand. None of the services listed on this page require you to identify yourself or to commit to anything. The first phone call is the hardest and the most useful single step you can take.
Gambling Helpline NZ
0800 654 655. Trained counsellors are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The call is free from any landline or mobile, including prepay. The same service runs by text on 8006 and by webchat through the helpline website.
Salvation Army Oasis
The Oasis service offers free face to face counselling for problem gambling in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Phone support is available nationally. The service welcomes both gamblers and affected family members.
Lifeline NZ
0800 543 354. Lifeline covers broader mental health and crisis support 24 hours a day. Useful when problem gambling is part of a wider picture that includes anxiety, depression or relationship strain.
Problem Gambling Foundation
Community based programmes including counselling, peer support groups and prevention education. The foundation has a particular focus on Pacific and Asian communities and offers support in multiple languages.
Inside your Crown Green account
Five tools sit in the responsible gambling tab and take seconds to use: deposit limits, loss limits, wager limits, session timers and self exclusion. Lower a limit to take effect immediately. Self exclude to lock the account for a chosen period. Live chat can also apply any of these on your behalf if you would prefer not to navigate the menus.
Supporting a loved one
Family and friends often spot problem gambling first. The Gambling Helpline NZ supports affected others as well as the gambler themselves. Calling for advice on how to start the conversation is often more useful than confronting the issue cold.