Anyone trying to halt their gambling in New Zealand has two formal routes through physical premises: an exclusion from an individual site or a multi-venue exclusion across several locations. The national point of contact across the country remains the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655 or via text at 8006, which operates day and night, seven days a week.
What’s on this page
The Department of Internal Affairs states that barring oneself from gambling premises provides an important mechanism when gambling creates harm. Pokies venues across the country must maintain self-exclusion procedures, but the process involves paperwork submission, coordination across neighbouring sites, and identity verification.
Immediate Support on the Phone and by Text
The initial phone call requires zero travel. The Department of Internal Affairs points gamblers to the Gambling Helpline, a free service accessible throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. You can call 0800 654 655 at any hour.
A text message sent to 8006 opens the same channel. Staff on these lines direct callers toward regional services equipped to manage exclusion paperwork without forcing a patron to confront staff inside every pub or club in their district.
Direct Requests at Individual Pokies Venues
Individual venue bans operate through straightforward contact with venue management. The Department of Internal Affairs outlines that a person can enter a specific site, identify themselves as a problem gambler, and formally request an exclusion order from that location.
Face-to-face requests are not mandatory. A person can also request an exclusion from a venue or a series of venues in writing or over the telephone.
Venue managers are required to issue a self-exclusion promptly once specific conditions are met. Because all pokies venues must maintain internal self-exclusion procedures under Department of Internal Affairs harm-minimisation rules, staff cannot simply dismiss an exclusion request or tell a patron to handle it elsewhere.
Coordinating Exclusions Across Multiple Venues
Targeting one pub does little for someone living near half a dozen gaming rooms. The Department of Internal Affairs uses the term multi-venue exclusion to define an arrangement covering several venues simultaneously.
Services operate across most parts of the country to help individuals arrange these multi-venue exclusions without visiting every gaming room individually. Counsellors and regional multi-venue exclusion coordinators manage the system, gathering the required documents and circulating them directly to the venues selected by the applicant.
Identity Documents and Photo Standards
Setting up a multi-venue exclusion involves specific paperwork standards set out in the Ministry of Health practitioners' guide.
Three core components must accompany the request:
- The applicant's formal identification.
- A signature demonstrating informed consent.
- A clear, good-quality colour photograph.
Venue staff use visual identification, so the Ministry of Health guide specifies that the photograph must show the face clearly against a plain background, taken solely for identification purposes.
Once the exclusion starts, procedural deadlines take effect. The Ministry of Health guide directs that the request for multi-venue exclusion, along with the venue identification forms, must be emailed to the regional multi-venue exclusion coordinator within 24 hours.
Navigating the Practical Steps
Deciding between an individual ban and a coordinated multi-venue process depends entirely on where you gamble. Walking into a single venue or phoning the manager resolves access for that specific address. However, addressing multiple gaming rooms across a town requires the formal regional pathway.
Reaching out to a counsellor, connecting with a regional multi-venue exclusion coordinator, or dialling the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655 turns an intent to stop into an active exclusion across the gaming network.