How to Quit a Gambling Addiction in New Zealand

This page is written specifically with struggling fellow Kiwis in mind, though it will help anyone who has a gambling addiction.

As opposed to dozens of other guides that help you quit gambling by telling you to ‘gamble only what you can afford to lose’ and then list the helplines, I will dig a bit deeper and give you a short introspective therapy session that might help you find the root cause of your addiction.

If you find what’s driving you to gamble, you can eliminate that reason, and stop.

For practical information regarding quitting gambling, read this article.

What is Gambling Addiction

First, let’s see what gambling addiction is.

As a general rule of thumb, if you feel like you might have a problem, then you most certainly are right and you have a problem.

In essence, if any of these are true, you’re already a problem gambler:

Degrees of a Problem Gambler

There are different stages of problem gambling. Ideally, you should do whatever you can to prevent yourself from devolving into a more serious stage.

Stage 0: Gambler in Danger

Not a problem gambler (yet), might never become one, but is uneducated about the pitfalls of gambling and the downward spiral that can start after a series of losses. In a right situation, he will start chasing losses – because he doesn’t yet know what that brings.

Stage 1: Latent Problem Gambler

Has a developing problem. Gambles with a firm intent to win money and is chasing losses because he can’t come to terms with a financial loss. Gambling isn’t enjoyable anymore and he knows he should stop. Hasn’t entered the downward spiral of investing more money just yet.

Stage 2: Practical Problem Gambler

Started to invest more money in an effort to recoup the losses. Is borrowing money, using money he needs for something else such as utility bills (‘I can pay them next month’), is gambling on credit by withdrawing money from his credit card, and is probably lying when asked about gambling. Whenever he gets hold of some new money, the first thing on his mind is to gamble. Hasn’t yet lost anything substantial other than money.

Stage 3: Ruined Problem Gambler

This is what happens when you invest more and more money, and lose. This gambler has lost one or all of the above: small and big material possessions, car, house, family, life. Immense financial losses have eaten away at the very foundations of his life, shattering them, and the family either found out and left, or the guilt has caused the gambler to hurt himself.

Steps to take

The root of problem gambling

It’s the same thing every single time – a refusal to accept the fact that a game of chance is exactly that, a game of chance. It does what it wants, it has no responsibility towards you, it is not due to pay you, and it does not care how much money you invested in a certain outcome.

This is why problem gambling is so common among sports bettors – because in sports betting you feel like you’re making an educated guess and that you aren’t gambling. You know which team must win.

In casino gambling, roots of problem gambling can usually be traced back to a refusal to understand that, in games of chance, every new game round is independent of those that came before it. Streaks don’t matter. In roulette, for example, on every new spin the chance for each of the numbers to land is exactly 1 / 37. No more, no less. It is not affected by the law of large numbers.

Not one bit.

Why do YOU gamble?

Now, most people who are problem gamblers, in my experience, have stopped enjoying the game and are now all about financial gains.

There are two camps.

Means to get supplemental income

One, smaller, group of people is gambling as a means to get supplemental income. For example, you may be short on money to maintain the lifestyle you want. Or to pay the bills. So you turn to gambling as you tried it and it has been going well for you either now or sometime in the past.

I got news for you. Gambling is not a steady means of income and it can never be. You can’t even decide to win NZ$100 on gambling every month. That’s not how she goes. It’s unpredictable and slippery, you’ll win one month but then lose big the next.

You’d be better off getting any kind of a side job. Anything at all. If it gets you NZ$50 per month, it’s a more reliable stream of income than hoping for big wins in gambling can ever be.

Gambling for the sake of gambling

The second camp are gamblers that are keeping track of how much money they’ve lost so far, and are fixated on winning it back. They’re in a hole, trying to dig themselves up by digging deeper.

For both of these groups, gambling is effectively a means to win money. One guy will do it to try to pay the bills, the other will do it to try to buy something he can’t afford, and the one in the dark corner will try to win back the money he lost.

In the case of trying to win back the money, which is also known as chasing losses, the gambler is unable to come to terms with financial loss. Guilt is too much, especially if family money is involved, so he instead takes a heroic stance and tries to win the money back – whatever it takes.

Tips and tricks to quit gambling

Finally, I bring you to my list of tips that can help you quit. If at least one of them helps, I did my part.

Quit, cold turkey

Can’t you just quit now? It’s the only guarantee that you will never lose another cent on gambling. Just stop to think about it. You’ll always be on positive zero for the rest of your life. Isn’t that something?

Get a side job

Gambling income is unreliable. Even a hundred dollars per month from some side gig is a safe income that can be a building block for your future finances. Even NZ$100 per month is NZ$1,200 in a year – and there’s no doubt about it.

Can you guarantee that you can be NZ$1,200 in positive at any point during the next year? Or at the precise point 12 months from now?

No? If not – then the only thing that makes sense is to drop gambling and get a side gig. Some tips off the top of my head:

  1. do online surveys on siteslike iSay and Digital Voice
  2. sell or resell some stuff on Mighty Ape or Trade Me
  3. drive for Uber, Ola, YourDrive, iHail, or Green Cabs
  4. come up with a service you can sell on Fiverr
  5. get a remote part-time job

These ideas are just to get you started. If you’re selling something, someone will want to buy it. If you have a service to offer, someone will need it.

Maybe promise a problem gambler you’ll help him for $50, and then simply point him to this article?

Okay, that was not funny…

It’s not all about the money

They lied to you. Money doesn’t matter as much. You can have less, you can have more, but it does not bring happiness, generally speaking. Happiness will always come from a full life and a peace of mind.

Are there ways to get that without the money? Yes there is. Family life, friends, reading books, taking classes, getting good at something, doing something for the community, getting involved with something, educating yourself. Generally, spreading your scope of influence on people around you is always a good thing.

Money just buys stuff. Learn how to do something positive for yourself with NZ$0 and you found the secret I’m trying to tell you about.

Accept the loss

The money lost on gambling is gone. It’s not your money anymore, and keeping track of how much of it was lost won’t create a magical connection to it. It is gone.

People suffer all sorts of financial disasters. Losing a lot on gambling is just one form. But, do you think a person who lost his house in a flood should start gambling to win a new one?

If your friend told you he desperately needs NZ$1,000 within a month, would your advice to him be to start gambling?

No? Well, if gambling isn’t really the best answer to either guy’s financial concerns, then gambling won’t magically work for you only because you lost money on it. Casino doesn’t care what you need the money for.

Admit it

Huge weight will be lifted off your shoulders if you tell your family, your parents, your spouse, your children that you have a problem with gambling.

Instantly, it will feel like less of a problem, because a lot of it is coming from guilt towards the aforementioned people. Be brave, admit it, accept help and listen to advice – even if it’s in the form of criticism and anger.

Conclusion

Gambling addiction is a psychological downward spiral from which many people can’t find an exit, purely because they’re fixated on winning back the money. Usually they think the casino (or sportsbook) owes them money, that they just need to do a bit better and have a bit more luck because luck is bound to turn.

To have a reality check, take a look at how much money you’ve lost on gambling. Include every single cent since you started gambling. Do an estimate for periods that you don’t have precise information for.

The number you get is the real effect of gambling on your life, and the real outcome of being a gambler. That’s how it is.

Now, is that a profitable activity in your particular case?

Not even as profitable as doing online surveys, I’d say.

New Zealand Organizations That Help You With Your Addiction

Various organizations in New Zealand offer help to people who are struggling with gambling addiction. If you or someone you know is suffering from it, here are some of the most prominent organizations you can seek help from: