Concerned about your gambling?
If you are concerned about your gambling there are a range of no-cost support services, including phone and face-to-face counseling that are available for both you and your family.
Show me the list of help options available in New Zealand.
How do I know if I have a gambling problem?
Here are some of the common signs of problem gambling:
- Repeated cash withdrawals or borrowing money.
- Large amounts of time are spend gambling (hours at a stretch).
- Agitation or aggression toward either other people or at the pokie machines/horses.
- Family or friends are concerned about gambling.
- Gambling is becoming more frequent.
- Gambling while under the influence of alcohol.
- Less time is spent socialising with friends.
- Neglecting responsibilities - work, children etc.
- Arguments are resulting from the time or money spent gambling.
Not sure? Take our Gambling Check test.
What can I do to help myself?
Avoid going to the places where you gamble.
Under New Zealand law you can exclude yourself from most gambling venues, which can be a useful way of breaking gambling habits. If you identify yourself to staff at a casino or pokie machine venue as having a gambling problem, the venue operator must, by law, exclude you from the venue. This means than both you and the venue operator can be fined if you enter the gambling area. In most cases the operator can just ban you from the gambling area if you wish to continue to use other facilities. However, it might be a good idea to avoid your regular gambling venues for a while to avoid temptation.
For help and support with a self-exclusion talk to your counsellor or call the Problem Gambling Foundation or the Gambling Helpline.
Keep busy
It could be helpful to substitute you gambling with some other activities you enjoy. Why not brainstorm a list of ideas of things you could do instead of gambling and put it somewhere to remind yourself.
Could you:
- go for a walk?
- visit friends?
- do a crossword/sudoku?
- volunteer?
- do a night class or community course?
Take control of your money
Give your credit and eftpos cards to your partner or someone you trust.Set up automatic payments for your bills and take out only the money you need.
Seek Help
- Get a general health check from your GP.
- Contact the Gambling Debt Helpline and/or arrange to see the budget services in your area to begin to address your financial situation.
- Attend a Gamblers Anonymous meeting.
- Seek professional help from one of the face-to-face counselling agencies that the Helpline can connect you with.
Find out more
The Gambling Helpline produces a range of self-help PDF documents for download including the brochure 'Concerned about your gambling?'.