Staying In Control
If you’ve noticed signs of gambling harm, there are ways to keep yourself safe and to prevent it from getting worse.
If you are noticing signs of gambling harm, there are ways to stay in control. Whether you want to cut back or stop gambling all together, you have options. Find a plan that works for you and share it with people you can trust to help you stay on track. You may need to try a few different solutions to find something that works, so keep trying.
Set a limit on how much money you want to spend
Before you start to gamble, decide how much you can afford to spend for the day, week and month and stick to it. Once you start gambling, it can be tempting to spend more and it quickly adds up. Here are some ways to help you stick to your spend limits:
- If you are going to gamble in a venue, take your set amount in cash and leave your bank cards at home.
- Only gamble with money that you can afford to lose. This money should not be needed for basic living expenses such as bills or groceries.
- If you have a win, stop gambling and “stay a winner”. Cash out your win and leave.
- Ask someone else to help manage your money.
- Give your bank cards to someone you trust.
- Use limit-setting tools on your online accounts. Both Lotto NZ and TAB let you set spend limits.
- Set up automatic payments for household bills and withdraw only what you need.
Set a limit on how much time you will spend
It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re gambling. And when you gamble for longer periods of time, the amount of money you spend can also increase.
Think about how much time you can afford to spend gambling. What are other life priorities you need to be there for? What do you miss out on when you spend time gambling?
Set a time limit. When that time is up, do something else.
Don’t chase losses
If you find yourself trying to win back money you’ve lost, usually by spending more time and more money, this is a sign that things are getting out of control.
Take breaks
While gambling, it’s helpful to take regular breaks so that you can clear your mind, keep to spend and time limits you’ve set and remember other priorities you have in your life.
Balance your time spent gambling with other activities like going for a walk, cooking a meal or chatting with friends. Having others around you who can support you with this can be useful.
Check your gambling
If you have sensed a change in the way you gamble or think you may be experiencing harm because of it, use our Test your gambling tool. The tool supports you to reflect on the impact gambling may be having and offers options to help you stay in control if harm is identified.
Avoid places with gambling
Try to avoid going to the places where you can gamble, or only go when you’re with people who are not gambling.
Take a break from gambling by self-excluding or banning yourself
If you want to take a break from gambling, you can exclude yourself from a venue or multiple venues as well as online accounts.
To ban yourself from a venue in person, tell the staff at the casino or pokie machine venue you want to self-exclude. The venue operator must, by law, exclude you from the venue. If you self-exclude, both you and the venue operator can be fined if you enter the gambling area.
Getting support to ban yourself from venues:
- A local counsellor can help support you with the self-exclusion process.
- You can contact your local multi-venue exclusion coordinator for support with self-exclusions.
To ban yourself online, you can choose the amount of time you’d like to block access to your account:
- TAB provides two options: take a break from your online account or self-exclude from online and in-person venues.
- Lotto NZ offers ways to block yourself from online games or exclude yourself from purchasing Lotto games in retail outlets.
- Most online casino accounts will provide options to take timeouts or to self-exclude.
Keeping yourself safe online
You can prevent yourself from using online gambling sites and apps. These tools can block access to online gambling websites:
You can also use the settings on your device’s internet browser to block gambling sites.
Some banks help customers take control of their online gambling and block payments to sites, for example:
Be honest
It’s important that you’re honest with yourself about gambling and the harm it may be causing you or others. This can be hard but it’s a positive first step to help you move forward.
When you’re ready, it’s a good idea to talk about your gambling with friends and whānau. They care about you and can help support you in your journey to cut back or stop gambling. Visit our Sharing and talking page for tips on how to start conversations about gambling harm.
Writing notes or keeping a journal can help track patterns in your gambling habits:
- Note the details when you gamble, including the time, day, date and place.
- Write down who you are with when you gamble or if you are alone.
- Note how much money you have when you gamble, how much you spend and your total wins and losses.
- Think about why you are gambling. Are you bored? Is someone encouraging you? Do you have strong emotions such as stress or anger? Have you been drinking?
Keep busy
It’s helpful to replace the time you spend gambling with other activities you enjoy. Make a list of activities you enjoy or have enjoyed in the past that you can do instead of gambling. You can ask people you trust to help you with this. Spending time with friends or whānau is a great option, especially if you can avoid places where you’d be tempted to gamble.
Be careful when gambling alone
When you spend a lot of time alone gambling, it’s possible to “get lost in the game” and lose sight of the real world. The more you keep playing, the more isolating it can become. Keep it social and gamble with friends so you can help each other stick to limits.
Seek help
If you want a self-help option:
- GambleAware Support Tool helps you reduce, quit or stay gamble-free.
If you want professional help:
- Peer support through gambling harm support services.
- Therapy through gambling harm support services.
- The Gambling Debt Helpline on 0800 654 658 can connect you to a budget advisor in your area.
Related information
Check out these other pages for safer gambling support and guidance.