Who do you tell first when money has gone to a gambling scam, and what should you say? Tell your bank straight away, then report the gambling scam to Police on 105 and to Netsafe. If you disagree with the bank’s answer, the Banking Ombudsman Scheme is free to approach. Reporting does not return money by itself.
This guide sits in the online casino scams and complaints section and uses official pages read on 8 October 2026. A complaint is only as useful as the place it can be sent, so each step below says what the agency takes, what it does and where it stops.
Is it a scam or a dispute with a real casino?
The answer decides where a report goes. A scam is a site, ad or message that wants your money or your details and is not what it claims to be, for example a page copying a known brand or a prize that needs a fee first. A dispute is a disagreement with an operator that does run games, such as a withdrawal that has not arrived.
Netsafe lists phishing, impersonation, fake prize or competition and investment scams among the types it describes, and the page does not mention casinos (Netsafe, understanding scams). SkyCity warns on its online safety page about scam ads and fake websites pretending to be SkyCity. A casino offer can be the bait in any of them.
A dispute with a real operator is a different problem; see how to complain about an online casino. An operator that is closing its New Zealand business is also not a scam; see what to do when your online casino is leaving New Zealand. The rest of this guide starts after the money has gone.
Step 1: contact your bank straight away
The Banking Ombudsman Scheme (the Ombudsman) says to contact your bank immediately if you suspect you have been scammed (Banking Ombudsman Scheme, scams, updated May 2026). Netsafe gives the same advice to anyone who has lost money (Netsafe, understanding scams).
Banks have committed in the Code of Banking Practice to give customers a 24/7 way to report a scam. Use the number on the back of your card or the contact details in the bank’s own app, not a number from a message or an ad. This guide gives no bank phone numbers, because each bank publishes its own.
Tell the bank the following, in this order:
- That you suspect a scam, not that you have a routine question.
- The date, time, amount and method of each payment: card, bank transfer or another service.
- The website address and the payee name as it appears on your statement.
- Whether you entered the payment yourself or it went through without your knowledge.
- What the site received from you: a card number, login details or a copy of an identity document.
- That you want the card blocked or further payments stopped, and ask for a case number.
If you entered the payment yourself, say so. The conditions the Ombudsman lists for repayment include not having been dishonest, so an accurate account is also the safer one. The questions are routine. They are not a judgement of you.
What your bank has to refund and what it does not
The Ombudsman sorts scam complaints into two groups. An unauthorised payment was made without your knowledge and consent. Under the Code of Banking Practice, the Ombudsman says, the bank must reimburse you unless you acted dishonestly or negligently, failed to take reasonable steps to protect your banking, or did not cooperate and respond promptly to the bank’s requests (Banking Ombudsman Scheme, assessing scam complaints, updated February 2026).
An authorised payment was made with your knowledge and consent. The Ombudsman says these count as authorised even if you were deceived about the purpose of the payment or about who received the money. Repayment is then not automatic, and the Ombudsman instead checks whether the bank met its scam commitments.
For payments made on or after 30 November 2025, the Ombudsman says the commitments are a warning before the payment, a Confirmation of Payee service so you can check the recipient’s name against the account name, a response to high-risk transactions and a 24/7 way to report scams. Where a bank has not met its commitments, the Ombudsman says you may be eligible for compensation of up to $500,000. The Code of Banking Practice adds that this applies up to three times during a banking relationship, to $500,000 in total.
What this means for your account
The Ombudsman’s definition of an authorised payment covers one you entered yourself after being deceived. A deposit to a scam site may fall on that side of the line. The bank makes that call, not this guide.
The Ombudsman lists these conditions for compensation:
| Condition | What the Ombudsman lists |
|---|---|
| Who | A consumer, not a business or company |
| Type of payment | A domestic payment to a New Zealand bank account, made on or after 30 November 2025 |
| Excluded | A payment made through a third-party payment service |
| Excluded | Buying goods or services on a social media or similar online marketplace |
| Honesty | You were not dishonest or fraudulent |
| Reporting | Reported to Police and the bank within 3 months of discovery and 12 months of the last payment |
| Cooperation | You cooperate with the bank’s reasonable requests |
On this wording, a card payment to an overseas website may not meet the domestic-payment condition, and a payment through a third-party payment service is excluded. Check each condition with your bank. The reporting window is short, so do not wait.
The official pages on repayment do not say whether banks treat gambling payments differently, so ask that question directly. No one can promise repayment in advance.
Can you ask for a chargeback?
A chargeback is a request for your bank to reverse a card payment through the card network. The Ombudsman says you can ask your bank to charge a Visa or Mastercard transaction back to the merchant’s bank, and that it is industry practice to do so for a disputed transaction with a valid reason (Banking Ombudsman Scheme, chargebacks, updated December 2024). Its examples include goods or services paid for and not received, items wrongly described and duplicated transactions. EFTPOS payments cannot be charged back.
There is no automatic right to a chargeback. The guide says an attempt may fail without a valid reason and that a cardholder has a set time under the credit card’s conditions of use to dispute a transaction. It also mentions complaints about credit card payments to online companies such as betting services. It says a bank may be able to charge back in very limited circumstances where a company refuses to let a customer withdraw an available balance.
Ask your bank as early as you can whether a chargeback is possible for your payment and what the time limit is on your card. This guide cannot say whether it will work.
Step 2: report it to Police on 105
New Zealand Police take non-emergency reports online or by phone on 105 (Ten-Five), and Fraud/Scam/Cyber is one of the report categories (New Zealand Police, use 105). If it is happening now, or someone is in danger, call 111 instead.
This report is not a formality. Reporting to Police and the bank within the set time is one of the conditions in the table above. Keep any report number or reference you are given and pass it to your bank.
Police ask you to include relevant evidence and documents, such as bank statements, emails, texts and social media activity (New Zealand Police, fraud, scam and cyber). Police say that fraud is a criminal offence and that more information helps them process the report. The page does not say what happens to each report, so expect no promised outcome.
Step 3: report a gambling scam to Netsafe and other agencies
Three more places take a report. The official pages of all three say nothing about recovering money, and the table shows what each one takes and where it stops.
| Agency | What it takes and does | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| Netsafe | Scam reports through an online form; responds and guides you on what to do next | Cannot investigate or track scammers |
| National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) | Reports of phishing, text message scams and dodgy websites; triages them and may forward them, with your consent | Its page does not describe recovering money |
| Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) | Reports of unlawful online casino advertising by email; spam by email or text | No complaint route for a site without a licence; does not investigate unsolicited phone calls |
Netsafe takes scam reports through its form at netsafe.org.nz/report, and says its team will respond and guide you through what to do next (Netsafe, report). Its page on understanding scams says Netsafe cannot investigate or track scammers.
The NCSC says almost half of its reports are about phishing, including text message scams, and that it can work to get dodgy websites taken down (NCSC, report). After a report it triages the case and decides how to respond, and with your consent it can forward the report to Police, DIA, banks and telecommunications companies. It points people to steps that limit the damage, including contacting the bank urgently.
What DIA actually checks
DIA regulates online casinos under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026. Its page for players says complaints apply to licensed casinos, and that you will be able to complain to the casino or to DIA. DIA says it expects to start issuing licences from early 2027 and will publish a public register of licensed online casinos (DIA, information for players). For the state of licensing, see licensed online casinos in New Zealand.
Players on an unlicensed platform do not get “the same player protections”, according to the same page. That page sets out no complaint route for money lost to a scam site. A report to DIA about a scam site is therefore not a way to get money back.
DIA does take reports of unlawful online casino advertising at onlinegambling@dia.govt.nz (DIA, information for players), and an online casino ad seen on social media may fit. It also takes spam reports: email through reportspam.co.nz, and text messages through a separate DIA page. It says it does not investigate unsolicited phone calls (DIA, report spam).
Step 4: if you and your bank cannot agree
Start with the bank’s own complaints team. The Ombudsman says it is helpful if you have already tried to contact the bank’s internal complaints team (Banking Ombudsman Scheme, make a complaint). If you and the bank still cannot agree, the Ombudsman takes complaints online, by email at help@bankomb.org.nz, by phone on 0800 805 950 or by letter.
The Ombudsman’s scams page says to talk to your bank, the police or the Ombudsman for free. You do not need a lawyer. You can appoint a representative, such as a friend, family member or financial mentor, and correspondence then goes to them.
A complaint should say what it is about, what you think the bank did wrong, how it affected you financially and in other ways, which documents support it and what you want the bank to do. The Ombudsman looks first at whether each payment was authorised or unauthorised. For authorised payments it then checks whether the bank met its commitments, as set out in the refund section above.
The Ombudsman’s complaints page gives no time limit for approaching it after the bank has answered, so raise it promptly.
Keep your records and watch for recovery scams
Save these while they still exist:
- Screenshots of the site and the ad, including the web address.
- Emails, messages and chat with the site or anyone claiming to act for it.
- The statement lines showing each payment.
- Every report or case number, with the date you received it.
If the site received login details or a copy of an identity document, change the passwords on any account that shares them and watch your accounts for activity you do not recognise.
Some scammers contact people who have already lost money and offer to get it back. The Ombudsman says to be very careful about paying someone to help you get your money back, and to talk to your bank, the police or the Ombudsman instead. A request for a fee before any recovery is the warning sign. Report the approach to Netsafe.
Where to report a gambling scam and where to get help
Reporting a gambling scam in New Zealand comes down to four contacts, and the bank is the first:
- Your bank: the number on your card or in its app.
- Police: 105, or the online Fraud/Scam/Cyber report.
- Netsafe: the scams form at netsafe.org.nz/report.
- The Banking Ombudsman Scheme, if you and the bank cannot agree: 0800 805 950.
If the money you lost was money you gambled, or gambling is affecting you or someone in your whānau, the Gambling Helpline offers free, anonymous support on 0800 654 655, or you can text 8006. It is run by Whakarongorau Aotearoa // New Zealand Telehealth Services.
This guide gives general information and is not legal or financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
Who do you report a gambling scam to in New Zealand?
Report it to your bank first, then to Police on 105 or online and to Netsafe through its scams form. If you and the bank cannot agree, the Banking Ombudsman Scheme takes complaints on 0800 805 950. The NCSC takes reports of text message scams and dodgy websites. Each step has limits, and none promises a refund.
Can you get your money back after a gambling scam?
Nobody can promise it. The Ombudsman says banks must reimburse payments made without your knowledge and consent when the conditions are met. A payment you entered yourself counts as authorised even if you were deceived, and the bank is then assessed on its scam commitments. Ask your bank how its rules apply to your payment.
Can you ask for a chargeback on a payment to a gambling site?
You can ask. The Ombudsman says there is no automatic right to a chargeback, and an attempt may fail without a valid reason. Time limits come from the credit card’s conditions of use, and EFTPOS payments cannot be charged back. Ask your bank as early as you can what applies to your card.
How long do you have to report a scam to your bank and Police?
For compensation under the Code of Banking Practice, the Ombudsman says the scam must be reported to Police and the bank within 3 months of discovery and 12 months of the last payment. Those limits belong to the compensation conditions. Contact the bank at once whatever your timeline, because banks also expect quick cooperation.
Can DIA help if the casino site is not licensed?
DIA says complaints apply to licensed casinos, and it expects to start issuing licences from early 2027. Players on an unlicensed platform do not get “the same player protections”. DIA does take reports of unlawful online casino advertising at onlinegambling@dia.govt.nz. For money already lost, start with your bank.
Does it cost anything to complain to the Banking Ombudsman Scheme?
The Ombudsman’s scams page says you can talk to your bank, the police or the Ombudsman for free, and its complaints page says you do not need a lawyer. You can complain online, by email, by phone or by letter. Try the bank’s own complaints team first, because the Ombudsman says that helps.
Someone has offered to recover your money for a fee. Is that genuine?
Be careful. The Ombudsman warns against paying someone to help you get your money back and says to talk to your bank, the police or the Ombudsman, for free. A request for a fee before any recovery is a warning sign. Report the approach to Netsafe and keep the messages.
Sources
- Banking Ombudsman Scheme, Scams, updated May 2026 (read 8 October 2026)
- Banking Ombudsman Scheme, Assessing scam complaints, updated February 2026 (read 8 October 2026)
- Banking Ombudsman Scheme, Chargebacks, updated December 2024 (read 8 October 2026)
- Banking Ombudsman Scheme, Make a complaint (read 8 October 2026)
- New Zealand Banking Association, Code of Banking Practice, November 2025 (read 8 October 2026)
- Netsafe, Understanding scams (read 8 October 2026)
- Netsafe, Report (read 8 October 2026)
- New Zealand Police, Use 105 (read 8 October 2026)
- New Zealand Police, Fraud, scam and cyber (read 8 October 2026)
- National Cyber Security Centre, Report (read 8 October 2026)
- Department of Internal Affairs, Information for players (read 8 October 2026)
- Department of Internal Affairs, Report spam (read 8 October 2026)
- Gambling Helpline, gamblinghelpline.co.nz (read 8 October 2026)
- SkyCity Entertainment Group, Safety online (read 8 October 2026)
Rules, dates and the licensing position are as these agencies published them on the dates shown. They may change once the first licences are issued.