Multi-Venue Exclusion and online self-exclusion: what binds, what does not, and what to stack

Multi-Venue Exclusion: the one that holds

The Multi-Venue Exclusion scheme has operated since 2011 and covers Class 4 gaming venues — the pubs and clubs with pokie machines — across a chosen area. You apply once, name the venues or the region, and the order takes effect at all of them.

Its important property is not the coverage but the rigidity. An exclusion order runs for up to two years and cannot be cancelled early — not on request, not with evidence that circumstances have changed, not by asking a different venue. That is the design. An exclusion you can revoke on a bad night is a preference; one you cannot is a decision.

Applications go through the scheme at multivenueexclusion.org.nz, and venue staff and problem gambling services will help complete one. Breaching an order is dealt with by the venue, and enforcement rests on staff recognising you — imperfect, and far better than nothing.

Online: what self-exclusion currently is

At an offshore casino, self-exclusion is a contractual undertaking by the operator, honoured through its own systems. Good operators honour it well: the account closes, marketing stops, and attempts to re-register with the same identity are refused. But three gaps are real:

• It covers one operator. Excluding at one brand does nothing at the next, and there is no shared New Zealand register to catch you. Britain has GAMSTOP across its licensees; we have nothing equivalent yet.
• Brand groups vary. Some apply an exclusion across every brand the group runs, others treat each licence separately. Ask explicitly, in writing.
• Enforcement is the operator's own. No New Zealand regulator can currently compel an overseas site to honour an exclusion it decides to ignore.

From 1 December 2026 licensed New Zealand operators must provide configurable deposit and loss limits with a 24-hour cooling-off period before any increase takes effect. That is a genuine improvement, and it will apply only to licensees.

Stack the tools that do not depend on goodwill

The reliable layers are the ones outside the casino's control:

• A bank gambling block. Westpac NZ and Kiwibank offer one on Visa debit and credit by request; it declines transactions coded as gambling regardless of the site. ANZ, ASB and BNZ have not confirmed a dedicated block. This is the strongest single lever available to a New Zealand player online — it does not care where the operator is licensed.
• Device-level blocking. Gamban, BetBlocker and similar tools block gambling sites and apps across a device. BetBlocker is free. Install it, set a long duration, and hand the password to someone else.
• Remove the money rails. Close the e-wallet accounts used for gambling and delete saved cards from the browser. A card block does not stop a wallet top-up, and a wallet you no longer have stops both.
• Self-exclude at each operator in writing, by e-mail rather than chat, naming the duration and asking for confirmation that it applies to every brand in the group. Keep the reply.

Where to get help, free

The Gambling Helpline is 0800 654 655, 24 hours, free, and will talk to family members as well as gamblers. Face-to-face and online counselling through providers funded by Health New Zealand costs nothing, and does not require a referral. The Multi-Venue Exclusion process itself is free.

One practical note worth more than any list: exclusion works best when someone else knows about it. The tools above are all built to remove a decision from a future moment when you would rather not be making it.