{"id":204768,"date":"2025-12-28T08:40:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T08:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/204768\/"},"modified":"2025-12-28T08:40:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T08:40:07","slug":"mychoice-gambling-harm-app-launched-as-online-casino-licences-loom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/204768\/","title":{"rendered":"MyChoice gambling harm app launched as online casino licences loom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Problem gamblers can self-exclude themselves from venues, but have to complete exclusion paperwork and get their photo taken.<\/p>\n

MyChoice, according to the designers, allows people to quietly exclude themselves from gaming rooms by scanning a QR code on their phones rather than having to speak to venue staff and fill out forms in triplicate. They can also self-exclude at any time by going directly to www.mychoice.nz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"PokiesPokies are part of the offering at SkyCity’s casino operations. Photo \/ Christine Cornege<\/p>\n

Participating venues will have a poster with a QR code that problem gamblers can scan, complete a self-exclusion form digitally, and set an exclusion time period.<\/p>\n

Their information is sent to the national exclusion database managed by the Salvation Army. MyChoice complements the system for exclusions, and punters with gambling problems are still encouraged to ask venue staff for help if they need it.<\/p>\n

\"GrassrootsGrassroots Trust executive chairman Martin Bradley says the present system is \u201cantiquated\u201d.<\/p>\n

They can also choose counselling and support at the same time if they wish. <\/p>\n

Grassroots Trust executive chairman Martin Bradley says the present system is \u201cantiquated\u201d and, for many, too daunting.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor someone already under huge stress, that\u2019s a massive barrier. MyChoice lets people take that step privately and with dignity, on their own terms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Grassroots Trust and the Lion Foundation are rivals in the Class 4 sector \u2013 venues apart from casinos that have pokie machines \u2013 both say harm minimisation is a shared responsibility.<\/p>\n

Lion Foundation chief executive Tony Goldfinch said collaborating on MyChoice was an easy decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can make it simpler and less confronting for someone to say \u2018I need a break\u2019 or \u2018I need help\u2019, then we should. MyChoice is about removing the awkwardness, so people can act earlier, before things spiral.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason Alexander, chief operating officer of M\u0101ori health organisation Hapai Te Hauora, said the paper-based system of self-inclusion was \u201cclunky\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cSelf-exclusion is a tool wh\u0101nau have to protect themselves from gambling harm, but right now it\u2019s clunky and hard to navigate. With the introduction of up to 15 online casinos, it\u2019s about to become even easier to gamble, which is why we need one simple national platform where you can go once and exclude yourself from all the places you can gamble, online and in person \u2013 a truly centralised self-exclusion system,\u201c Alexander said.<\/p>\n

M\u0101ori communities had problem-gambling rates that were three to four times higher than non-M\u0101ori, he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018Blood money\u2019<\/p>\n

Colin Bridle, of Feed Families Not Pokies, is not convinced the app stacks up.<\/p>\n

With the Government about to sell 15 licences to overseas gambling organisations, the timing couldn\u2019t be worse.<\/p>\n

Act deputy leader Brooke van Velden\u2019s Online Gambling Bill<\/a> will regulate online gambling in New Zealand, with fines up to $5 million for unlicensed operators.<\/p>\n

The bill is before Parliament\u2019s governance and administration select committee, and foreign companies are likely to dominate New Zealand\u2019s internet gambling market when the licences are granted in February 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pokie machines are there to line someone\u2019s pocket,\u201d Bridle told the Herald. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not the person playing the machine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see pokie machines as blood money. I have had someone commit suicide because of a gambling habit and others who have lost thousands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what is motivating me and the Feed Families Not Pokies group to put a stop to these machines, which are destroying the poorer communities in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andree Froude, of the Problem Gamblers Foundation, said she could not comment on the app until she had understood how it worked and to ensure people\u2019s private information was safe.<\/p>\n

\"HapaiHapai Te Hauora’s Jason Alexander says the paper-based system of self-inclusion is \u201cclunky\u201d. Photo \/ NZME<\/p>\n

\u201cVenue exclusion is an important intervention tool for people who want to take a break from gambling on pokies or stop completely. It is a valuable and effective tool for preventing gambling harm. \u201d<\/p>\n

If the Hamilton pilot proves successful, Grassroots Trust and the Lion Foundation would like to roll out MyChoice nationally across all Class 4 societies and venues.<\/p>\n

They say the launch of MyChoice couldn\u2019t be more timely, with the Government set to auction 15 online casino licences in 2026, and the regulations around how online operators must manage harm minimisation yet to be released.<\/p>\n

Bradley says the shift online raises serious questions about how self-exclusion will work across various forms of gambling.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take harm minimisation very seriously. In fact, it\u2019s our No 1 strategic priority,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe MyChoice problem gambling app is being trialled in Hamilton.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thought of someone who is excluded from one of our sites being able to gamble away thousands of dollars on a regulated online casino next year keeps me up at night.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe regulator [Department of Internal Affairs] must ensure this can\u2019t happen \u2013 it\u2019s absolutely critical that any new online casino licence holders commit to ensuring people with existing exclusions in New Zealand cannot access their platforms. MyChoice has been developed with that capability in mind and will give users the capability to self-exclude from those online casinos once they are licensed.” <\/p>\n

Joseph Los\u2019e is the kaupapa M\u0101ori editor and joined NZME in 2022. Los\u2019e was chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and before joining NZME, worked for urban M\u0101ori organisation Wh\u0101nau Waipareira.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Problem gamblers can self-exclude themselves from venues, but have to complete exclusion paperwork and get their photo taken.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":204769,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2724,806,27518,6874,33965,578,3447,11521,305,5838,19136,1743,37254,58887,125031,111,43,139,69,1642,124798,21311,38520,125032,199,65861,102],"class_list":["post-204768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-app","tag-as","tag-asking","tag-casino","tag-designed","tag-gambling","tag-gaming","tag-harm","tag-have","tag-help","tag-largest","tag-launched","tag-licences","tag-loom","tag-mychoice","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-online","tag-paperwork","tag-problem","tag-shame","tag-societies","tag-take","tag-waikatos","tag-with"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204768\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}