Where can you get free help with gambling in New Zealand – for yourself or for someone close to you? The Gambling Helpline in New Zealand is the national freephone service for people affected by gambling: call 0800 654 655 or text 8006. It is also for family and friends worried about someone else’s gambling. Beyond the phone line, free counselling is available in person, by phone or by video from services contracted by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. This guide shows which number is for what. It does not explain what gambling harm is and the tools that limit it.

Get help now

  • Gambling Helpline: call 0800 654 655, free from anywhere in New Zealand
  • Text: 8006
  • Web chat: gamblinghelpline.co.nz
  • Immediate danger: if someone is in immediate danger of harming themselves or others, call 111.
  • Emotional support more generally: call or text 1737 for free, confidential support. It is a general mental health line, not a gambling service.

What the Gambling Helpline in New Zealand is and who runs it

The Gambling Helpline describes itself as the national freephone support service for people affected by gambling in Aotearoa. It is run by Whakarongorau Aotearoa, also known as New Zealand Telehealth Services, and it provides the freephone line for the Government’s Safer Gambling Aotearoa campaign. Safer Gambling Aotearoa is supported by the Minimising Gambling Harm programme of Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora.

The Helpline’s own page names three groups it serves: people who are, or have been, gambling; family and friends concerned about someone else’s gambling; and members of the public interested in the impact gambling has in New Zealand. It says calls are answered by telephone counsellors with specialist gambling problem training and experience, and that its services are provided free throughout the country.

The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) gives the same number on its Minimising gambling harm page, updated April 2026. Numbers copied onto other websites are sometimes wrong or out of date, so check any number against the provider’s own site before you dial.

A slogan such as “gamble responsibly” does not help someone who needs a number now. A concrete step does, and calling or texting is one.

What happens when you call, text or chat

The Helpline describes how it works with you in five parts:

  1. A counsellor listens to what is happening.
  2. Together you look at the problems or issues involved.
  3. You explore possible ways to deal with them.
  4. You decide on next steps. The Helpline says these might include face-to-face counselling, strategies that may help, or self-help resources.
  5. The Helpline offers continued support if you want it.

The Helpline says it can call you back discreetly for ongoing support and encouragement. If face-to-face counselling suits you better, it can refer you to a local agency where one is available. Nothing on its pages promises how long any step takes, so ask the counsellor what to expect.

Texting works differently. You can send an anonymous free text message to 8006 and receive a personalised response from the Helpline’s counsellors. The Helpline website also has a chat option.

The four specialist helplines

The Gambling Helpline runs four specialist services, and DIA also refers to four specialist services. The shared principle is Māori counselling Māori, Pacific peoples counselling Pacific peoples and youth counselling youth. A specialist counsellor may not be free when you call. If that happens, you can ask for a call back.

ServiceNumberWho it is for
Māori Gambling Helpline0800 654 656Māori, counselled by Māori
Pasifika Gambling Helpline0800 654 657Pacific peoples
Debt Gambling Helpline0800 654 658Gambling debt and money
Youth Gambling Helpline0800 654 659Young people worried about their own or someone else’s gambling

The specialist lines are an option, not a requirement. If you are unsure which number fits, start with the main line on 0800 654 655, and remember that the Helpline can arrange a call back. The Helpline’s contact page lists the Pasifika service as the Vai Lelei Pasifika Gambling Helpline and the debt service as the Gambling Debt Helpline, so you may see either name.

Free counselling in person, by phone or by video

Safer Gambling Aotearoa says free and confidential counselling is available in New Zealand both to people struggling with gambling and to whānau and friends affected by someone else’s gambling. Counsellors can work over the phone or face to face, either in person or by video call. The first session usually takes 60 to 90 minutes. Safer Gambling Aotearoa also says the services on its list are contracted by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora to provide free and confidential support, and that ongoing counselling is free of charge.

Where no face-to-face service is nearby, Safer Gambling Aotearoa says you can still get support from PGF Services, Asian Family Services and Mapu Maia by phone or video call. Some services also offer peer support from people with personal experience of gambling harm, and groups. The Services near you page helps you find a provider. The table below shows services such as these, not a complete list.

ProviderContactGood to know
PGF Services0800 664 262, text 5819, live chat18 clinics nationwide; whānau or a support person can come to appointments
Asian Family ServicesAsian Helpline 0800 862 342Face-to-face, phone and video counselling in several languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Hindi
Mapu Maia0800 21 21 22Counselling and education; support in English, Samoan and Tongan

Opening hours are on each provider’s website. PGF Services, Asian Family Services and Mapu Maia each describe their support as free, and PGF Services and Mapu Maia call it confidential as well.

If you are worried about someone else’s gambling

The Gambling Helpline lists family and friends concerned about someone else’s gambling among the people it serves. Counselling is free for them too, and PGF Services says whānau or a support person are welcome at appointments. Support is not only for the person who gambles.

Signs worth noticing

Safer Gambling Aotearoa’s Know the signs page describes changes such as these:

  • chasing losses by gambling again to win money back
  • hiding gambling or lying about it
  • spending more than the person can afford
  • borrowing money to gamble
  • losing track of time while gambling
  • losing interest in other things

A sign is a reason to talk, not a diagnosis. Only a conversation, and perhaps a counsellor, can say more.

How to start the conversation

The Kōrero Cards from Safer Gambling Aotearoa, a set of 40 cards in eight themes, suggest an approach along these lines:

  1. Talk about what you have noticed and how you feel, not about what the person is doing wrong.
  2. Begin with something positive.
  3. Listen without interrupting or arguing.
  4. Do not wait for a perfect moment.
  5. If the person does not want to talk, try again later.
  6. Offer practical help only if the person agrees, for example by deciding together who holds the payment cards.

Support for you

You can call the Gambling Helpline on your own behalf, and you can book counselling for yourself as someone affected by another person’s gambling. Safer Gambling Aotearoa also has a two-minute anonymous quiz, Test your gambling, which says it can be used to test yourself or someone you care about. A quiz is a starting point and does not replace talking to a counsellor.

Help with gambling debt and money

The Debt Gambling Helpline, 0800 654 658, is staffed by financial counsellors trained to work on gambling problems and gambling debt. The Helpline lists programmes covering budgeting, information about debts, communicating with creditors and a self-monitoring banking system. It says the service is also open to partners, family and others.

MoneyTalks (FinCap) is a general money line, not a gambling service. It provides free support on money matters, and it can connect you with a financial mentor. Call 0800 345 123, text 4029 or use live chat. It suits everyday money questions that go beyond gambling.

Online casinos: what support can and cannot do

The Helpline describes itself as a service for people affected by gambling and does not limit that to one kind of game. Safer Gambling Aotearoa also has a separate page on online gambling.

As at 6 October 2026, self-exclusion from an online casino is arranged with each platform separately. A national register is not in place. The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 provides for one to be created by regulations, which the Minister must recommend by 1 December 2027 (section 75(3)). How self-exclusion from online casinos works today covers what you can do now.

Protection also depends on the platform. DIA says players do not have the same protections at an unlicensed platform, so it helps to know which online casinos are licensed in New Zealand and how to check before you rely on any platform’s safer gambling tools.

For gambling venues, the Helpline says it can help with the exclusion process and give ongoing support. DIA says venue managers may exclude a person if they believe the person’s gambling may be causing harm, so a worried family member can raise a concern with the venue. The sources read for this guide describe no matching step for online casinos.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Gambling Helpline in New Zealand free to call?

Yes. The Gambling Helpline is a freephone service, and it says its services are provided free throughout New Zealand. You can call 0800 654 655 from anywhere in the country. Counselling arranged through services contracted by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is also free.

Can I text the Gambling Helpline instead of calling?

Yes. Text 8006 to reach the Helpline, which says you can send an anonymous free message and get a personalised response from its counsellors. PGF Services takes texts on 5819, and MoneyTalks takes them on 4029 for money questions. The Helpline website also has a chat option.

Do I have to give my name?

The Helpline says text messages can be anonymous. It also says it passes some demographic and health information to the Ministry of Health, not the details of your conversations, but that wording is on an older page. Ask the counsellor how your information is used before you share more than you want to.

Can I call about someone else’s gambling?

Yes. The Gambling Helpline lists family and friends concerned about someone else’s gambling among the people it serves. Safer Gambling Aotearoa also says free counselling is available to whānau and friends affected by another person’s gambling. The Youth Gambling Helpline supports young people worried about someone else’s gambling.

Is there support for Māori, Pacific or Asian communities?

Yes. The Helpline runs the Māori Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 656 and the Pasifika Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 657. Asian Family Services has an Asian Helpline on 0800 862 342, and Mapu Maia offers support in English, Samoan and Tongan on 0800 21 21 22.

Where can I get free face-to-face counselling?

Use the Services near you page on Safer Gambling Aotearoa to find a provider contracted by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. PGF Services lists 18 clinics nationwide. Where nothing is nearby, PGF Services, Asian Family Services and Mapu Maia can also help by phone or video call.

Does the Gambling Helpline help with online gambling as well as pokies?

The Helpline describes itself as a service for people affected by gambling and does not limit that to one kind of game. Safer Gambling Aotearoa also has a page on online gambling. If you are unsure whether your situation fits, call or text and ask.

Where to get help

If gambling is affecting you or someone in your whānau, call the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655 or text 8006. If someone is in immediate danger of harming themselves or others, call 111. For the wider picture, see the guides on gambling harm and the tools that limit it. This guide gives general information and is not medical, financial or legal advice.

Sources