Need to talk to someone right now? Call the Gambling Helpline Aotearoa New Zealand free on 0800 654 655, text 8006, or visit gamblinghelpline.co.nz — free, confidential, available 24/7.
Our commitment
Every casino we list must offer, at minimum: identity and age verification, deposit limits, session-time reminders, self-exclusion, and a link to independent problem gambling support. This is baseline criteria, not an aspiration — Crocoslots, Oshi Casino and Bitkingz all confirmed these tools are available in-account before we published a review, and we remove a casino from our recommendations if we find it does not maintain them.
Signs gambling may be becoming a problem
- Spending more time or money gambling than you planned to, on a regular basis.
- Chasing losses — gambling more to try to win back money already lost.
- Lying to family or friends about how much time or money you spend gambling.
- Borrowing money, selling possessions, or missing bill payments to fund gambling.
- Feeling restless, irritable, or anxious when trying to cut down or stop.
- Gambling to escape stress, sadness, or other difficult feelings.
- Neglecting work, study, relationships, or health because of gambling.
If any of these feel familiar — for you or for someone you care about — it's worth reaching out to one of the support services below. You don't need to have "hit bottom" to ask for help.
Tools you can use today
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Deposit limits | Cap how much you can add to your casino account daily, weekly, or monthly. |
| Loss limits | Cap how much you can lose in a set period, regardless of deposits. |
| Session reminders | Pop-up alerts showing how long you've been playing and how much you've spent. |
| Time-outs | Temporarily lock your account for a cooling-off period (typically 24 hours to 6 weeks). |
| Self-exclusion | Permanently or semi-permanently block your own access to an operator's site, usually for 6 months to lifetime. |
Most of these settings live in the "Responsible Gambling" or "Account Limits" section of an operator's dashboard. If you can't find them, that itself is a red flag worth reporting to us.
Free support services in New Zealand
- Gambling Helpline Aotearoa NZ — 0800 654 655, free call or text 8006, live chat and face-to-face counselling referrals via gamblinghelpline.co.nz.
- Ministry of Health – Problem Gambling Services — funds free, confidential counselling nationwide; ask your GP for a referral or find a provider via the Helpline.
- Aware Kaupapa Māori Services and Asian Family Services — culturally-specific gambling harm support, reachable through the Gambling Helpline.
- Youthline — 0800 376 633 — for young people affected by their own or a family member's gambling.
A quick self-check
Ask yourself honestly: in the last 12 months, have you needed to gamble with increasing amounts of money to get the same feeling of excitement? Have you tried to cut back and been unable to? These two questions alone are part of the screening criteria clinicians use — answering "yes" to either is a reasonable trigger to contact the Helpline, even just for an anonymous chat.
Support for family and friends
Gambling harm affects more than the person placing the bets. The Gambling Helpline also supports partners, parents, and friends of someone whose gambling is causing harm, including guidance on having a difficult conversation and protecting shared finances.
What we do, and don't do
We are a comparison and information site, not a counselling service. We cannot access, freeze, or close your account at any casino — only the operator, or an independent self-exclusion scheme, can do that. What we can do is make sure every operator we recommend gives you the tools above, keep this page current, and point you toward people who are trained to help.