A failed self-exclusion has put New Zealand’s sketchy responsible gambling safeguards back in the spotlight after a self-described problem gambler told the NZ Herald his attempt to shut himself out of TAB betting did not block him out as he’d expected.
The man, who used a pseudonym, arrived from India back in 2022 and lost a significant amount of money through TAB before eventually applying for self-exclusion at TAB Birkenhead in October 2023. He was under the belief that the ban was nationwide.
As it turns out, it exposed an enforcement gap in Class 4 Pokie venues, which include pokies in TAB and casinos, letting an excluded person gamble. It is an offence carrying a fine of up to NZ$5,000 under the Gambling Act.
However, self-exclusions made through TAB do not have an equivalent statutory penalty. This is because there is no defined offence, penalty, or complaints process when a self-exclusion fails, like in this gentleman’s case.
Support services say the pattern is familiar. The Problem Gambling Foundation director Andree Froude told the Herald the organisation encounters situations like this “far too often,”. He also said that self-exclusion, while not a magic solution, is an important tool in a person’s recovery journey.
The obvious fix would be a single register covering all forms of gaming – something we’ve seen pulled off to some degree of success in countries like the UK. In New Zealand, however, it doesn’t look close to being ready.
The Online Casino Gambling Act requires the Minister for Internal Affairs to recommend regulations establishing a centralised exclusion register by the 1st of December 2027, and the DIA has said only initial high-level policy work has even started – so, for now, there’s going to be at least a year where domestically licensed casinos will be operating in the county without any national self-exclusion scheme in place.
Anyone worried about their own or someone else’s gambling can get free, confidential help in New Zealand. The Gambling Helpline is available on 0800 654 655, seven days a week. It can also be reached by texting 8006.
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Alex Smith