Vegas Now Get Help

Tools inside your Vegas Now account

Every account on Vegas Now includes deposit limits, loss limits, session timers, reality checks, time-outs and self-exclusion. They sit under a single Responsible Gaming menu in your account, so you can change them without contacting support.

If you would prefer help setting them up, our live chat team can walk you through the options. There is no judgement attached and no upsell. Limits are there to be used.

New Zealand players can set all limits in NZD and adjust them at any time from the account dashboard. Lowering a limit takes effect immediately. Raising one triggers a 48-hour cooling-off period, which is designed to make impulsive increases harder to act on. We strongly encourage every player to start the account with a weekly deposit limit that reflects what they can genuinely afford to lose, before the excitement of a first session gets in the way.

The reality check feature sends an on-screen notification at intervals you choose, showing how long you have been playing and how your balance has moved during that session. Many players in New Zealand find a 30-minute reality check a helpful anchor, particularly during All Blacks or Super Rugby match nights when sessions can stretch longer than planned.

The Gambling Helpline New Zealand

The Gambling Helpline NZ is the primary free support service for New Zealand players and their families. You can reach them on 0800 654 655, seven days a week, around the clock. The service is funded by the New Zealand Government and staffed by trained counsellors who specialise in gambling-related harm.

Calls are free from any New Zealand landline or mobile, including all major carriers. The counsellors are not affiliated with any casino and have no interest in keeping you playing. They are there to listen, to help you understand your situation and to connect you with the right next step, whether that is setting limits, taking a break or entering a formal treatment programme.

You can also reach the Gambling Helpline by text on 8006, or through the online chat at the Gambling Helpline website. If a phone call feels like too big a step right now, the text service lets you start the conversation at your own pace.

Safer Gambling Aotearoa

Safer Gambling Aotearoa is the national harm minimisation programme run by the New Zealand Government. It includes public education campaigns, responsible gambling community programmes and a network of counselling services delivered by organisations across the country.

The programme funds face-to-face counsellors in every major New Zealand city as well as regional towns. Appointments are free and confidential. If you prefer to speak with someone in person rather than over a phone or screen, your local Safer Gambling Aotearoa provider is the right starting point. Your GP can also refer you if that feels more comfortable.

Maori and Pasifika communities have access to culturally specific support services through the Safer Gambling Aotearoa network. These services are delivered by providers who understand the cultural context of gambling in their communities and can offer support in te reo Maori and Pacific languages where needed.

Independent gambling helplines

Most countries run a free, confidential gambling helpline staffed by trained counsellors. Calls do not commit you to anything, and the service is open to family members as well as the person gambling.

If you are not sure where to start, the Gambling Helpline NZ on 0800 654 655 is the right first call for anyone playing from New Zealand. For players based outside New Zealand, our support team can point you to the national helpline in your country.

International resources

GamCare in the UK (gamcare.org.uk) and Gamblers Anonymous (gamblersanonymous.org) both offer global resources, online support and 12-step group meetings in many languages.

BeGambleAware (begambleaware.org) is another international resource with self-assessment tools and a directory of treatment services across multiple regions.

Gamblers Anonymous holds regular meetings across New Zealand, including groups in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton. Meetings are free, anonymous and open to anyone who wants to address a problem with gambling, including problem sports betting. The GA website lists the current schedule and venue details for New Zealand groups.

Recognising the moment to ask for help

You do not need to be in crisis to call. Many people who reach out are at the early-warning stage, where gambling has started taking up more headspace than they want it to. Catching it early makes the path back to balanced play much shorter.

If you have answered yes to chasing losses, hiding the activity, borrowing to gamble, or feeling restless when not playing, please pick up the phone or open chat with a helpline today.

For New Zealand players, some specific warning patterns to watch for include depositing more than you intended during NRL or Super Rugby match nights, using pay-day as a trigger to top up the casino account, and finding that the account balance is affecting how you feel about everyday spending. None of these patterns mean you have a serious problem, but each one is worth paying attention to before it becomes harder to reverse.

Help for someone you know

If you are worried about a friend, family member or partner, the same services support you. Trying to handle it alone usually leads to frustration on both sides. The Gambling Helpline NZ on 0800 654 655 has a specific stream for family and whanau who are concerned about someone else. Counsellors can give you practical guidance on how to start the conversation, what to do if you are met with denial, and how to protect joint finances in the meantime.

Avoid lending money to someone you suspect is struggling, even when it feels like the helpful thing to do. Encouraging them to set deposit limits, take a self-exclusion or call a helpline supports them more in the long run.

If you share finances with the person, speak to your bank about separating accounts or applying a gambling merchant block to shared cards. Most New Zealand banks, including ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Westpac and Kiwibank, offer gambling block features on debit cards at no cost. These blocks prevent any transaction to a merchant categorised as gambling, and can be turned on through online banking or the bank app without needing to visit a branch.

What a first call usually looks like

Most people calling a gambling helpline for the first time worry the conversation will be intense or judgemental. In practice it is the opposite. Counsellors open with a few simple questions about your situation, listen without pushing you, and then talk through the options that fit. There is no requirement to give your real name, no obligation to enter a programme, and no notes shared with anyone outside the service.

If the call brings up something you want to act on straight away, the counsellor can help you set deposit limits or self-exclusion across the operators you use. They can also point you to local face-to-face counselling if that suits you better than a phone conversation.

The Gambling Helpline NZ call is completely free from any New Zealand number and takes about 15 to 20 minutes for a first conversation. You will not be put on a waiting list, you will not receive follow-up calls unless you ask for them, and your GP will not be notified. It is a standalone, confidential service and nothing you say on the call is shared elsewhere.

Online tools and self-assessment

If you are not ready for a phone call, online self-assessment quizzes are a useful first step. The Problem Gambling Severity Index is the most widely used. Nine short questions take about three minutes to answer and give you a clear score with a recommended next step. GamCare and BeGambleAware both host the assessment alongside live chat with trained counsellors who can talk you through the result.

Apps like Gamban and BetBlocker block gambling sites at the device level. They are free or very low cost, and they install on multiple devices from one account. Pairing a blocker with self-exclusion at the operator level closes off the easy paths back to the cashier during a break.

The Gambling Helpline NZ website also includes a self-assessment tool specifically calibrated for New Zealand users, taking into account the local context of TAB betting, pokie venues and online casino play. The tool is anonymous and takes around five minutes. It gives you a plain-language result and a clear recommendation on whether to seek further support.

Practical financial steps

Speak to your bank about gambling block features on debit and credit cards. All major New Zealand banks offer one-tap blocks through their mobile apps that prevent any merchant categorised as gambling from being charged to the card. The block is reversible but typically requires a 24 to 48-hour cooling-off period before it can be lifted, which is enough to break impulsive decisions.

Move any savings into a separate account that has no card linked to it. This sounds basic but it is one of the most effective protective measures. The friction of having to actively transfer money before it can be used reduces impulsive deposits significantly.

If you are using POLi to fund your Vegas Now account, you can speak to your bank about whether a gambling merchant block will also apply to POLi transactions. Policies vary by bank, so it is worth checking directly. Paysafecard is an alternative that lets you pre-load a fixed amount in NZD, which caps your spending at the value of the card without needing to apply a bank-level block.

Your rights as a New Zealand player

Under the Gambling Act 2003, you must be 20 or older to gamble online with a New Zealand-regulated provider. Vegas Now serves New Zealand players through an international licence and our terms require players to meet the legal gambling age in their own jurisdiction. If you are under 20 and have been gambling on this site, please contact support immediately and we will close the account and return any deposits.

The Department of Internal Affairs oversees gambling harm minimisation in New Zealand. If you have a complaint about gambling harm practices that we have not been able to resolve, you can contact the DIA directly. The contact details are available on the DIA website.

What to do right now

If you want to take action today, the steps are straightforward. Open your account, set a deposit limit you are comfortable with in NZD, then visit our Responsible Gaming page to read about time-outs and self-exclusion. If you would prefer to step away from the account entirely, our Close My Account walkthrough takes you through it in a few minutes. If anything in this guide has resonated, please pick up the phone to the Gambling Helpline NZ on 0800 654 655 before the next session.