Responsible Gambling at Ricky Casino
Gambling is meant to be an enjoyable way to spend time, and for most people, it stays exactly that. But it can tip into something less positive when it stops being a choice and starts feeling like a compulsion. At Ricky Casino, we take that line seriously. This page explains our responsible gambling approach, the tools available to you, the warning signs worth knowing, and where to turn if gambling is no longer sitting comfortably in your life.
Everything on this page applies to New Zealand players. If you are registering, playing, or withdrawing from New Zealand, these tools, contacts and legal protections all apply to you.
Our Obligations and Commitment
Ricky Casino operates under licence number 8048/JAZ2020-013, issued within the Antillephone N.V. regulatory framework. That licence carries obligations. One of them is that we actively maintain responsible gambling provisions, not just list them on a page and move on.
New Zealand’s Gambling Act 2003 sets the domestic framework for gambling regulation. While the Act primarily governs operators physically based within the country, its harm minimisation principles reflect the standard that any reputable platform serving Kiwi players should hold itself to. Those principles include: giving players meaningful control over their own gambling behaviour, providing accurate information about the risks involved, protecting underage players, and making support services easy to find.
We also display certifications from BeGambleAware and Gambling Therapy on our site because both organisations represent real infrastructure for people who need help, not just logos to put in a footer. We support both services and encourage their use.
Gambling at Ricky Casino is restricted to players who are 18 years of age or older. This is not flexible.
Understanding the Risks
Casinos are not designed to produce regular winners. The house edge across every game type means the operator profits in aggregate over time. That is not a secret, and it is not a reason to avoid gambling altogether, but it is the fundamental context you need to hold onto.
A few things worth understanding before you start, or worth revisiting if you have been playing for a while:
- Each spin, hand or round is an independent event. A losing streak does not make the next spin more likely to win. The idea that you are “due” a win after a run of losses is not mathematically supported by how casino games work.
- Progressive jackpots and large win potential are real, but they are statistical outliers. They do happen. They are not reliable outcomes, and planning your session around achieving one is likely to lead to spending more than you intended.
- The longer you play in a single session, the more the house edge compounds. Short, budgeted sessions produce outcomes much closer to your expected return than extended ones.
- Gambling while tired, frustrated, or in a difficult headspace increases the likelihood of chasing losses and making decisions you would not normally make.
None of this is said to discourage you from playing. It is said to help you play with eyes open, which is the foundation of responsible gambling.
Signs That Gambling May Be Becoming a Problem
Problem gambling rarely arrives fully formed. It tends to build gradually, which makes it easy to miss until the impact is significant. The following signs are worth recognising in yourself or in someone close to you.
Behavioural Signs
- Spending more time gambling than you planned to, regularly
- Gambling with money set aside for rent, bills, food, or other necessities
- Borrowing money or selling possessions to fund gambling
- Feeling compelled to return and win back money you have lost
- Lying to family members or friends about how much you are gambling or spending
- Gambling as a way to escape stress, anxiety, depression, or difficult personal situations
- Finding it difficult or uncomfortable to stop once you have started a session
- Neglecting work, study, relationships, or responsibilities because of gambling
Emotional Signs
- Feeling irritable or restless when you try to cut back or stop
- Feeling guilty or ashamed after gambling sessions
- Thinking about gambling frequently when you are not playing
- Feeling a need to bet larger amounts over time to get the same level of excitement
If several of these sound familiar, that is not a judgement, it is useful information. The tools on this page and the organisations listed below exist specifically for this situation.
Responsible Gambling Tools Available on Your Account
Ricky Casino provides a set of self-management tools that are available to you at any time through your account settings. Setting these up when you register, before any session goes in a direction you did not intend, is the most practical way to use them.
Deposit Limits
Deposit limits cap the total amount you can add to your Ricky Casino account within a defined time period. You can set a daily, weekly, or monthly deposit limit. Once the limit is reached, no further deposits will be accepted until the period resets.
If you reduce your deposit limit, the change takes effect immediately. If you request an increase, a cooling-off period applies before the higher limit becomes active. This asymmetry is deliberate: it makes responsible decisions stick while making impulsive increases harder to execute.
Loss Limits
A loss limit caps the total amount you can lose within a set period. When the limit is reached, your ability to continue wagering pauses until the period ends. This is a practical tool for players who find that sessions can extend beyond what they had budgeted.
Session Time Limits
Session time limits restrict how long you can play in a single sitting. When the limit is reached, you are logged out automatically. This addresses one of the most common patterns in extended gambling sessions: the simple loss of track of time. When you are in a run of games, especially on live dealer tables where rounds come quickly, an hour can feel like fifteen minutes.
Setting a session time limit you are comfortable with removes the need to keep checking the clock yourself.
Reality Checks
Reality check notifications can be set to appear at regular intervals during your session. When the notification appears, it shows you how long you have been playing and gives you the option to continue or stop. This is a lighter-touch version of the session limit, designed for players who simply want a periodic prompt rather than a hard cutoff.
Cooling-Off Period
A cooling-off period temporarily suspends your ability to deposit and play, typically for a period you specify ranging from a day to several weeks. This is useful if you want a break without committing to a longer exclusion period. During a cooling-off period, you can still log in and withdraw any remaining funds.
Self-Exclusion
Self-exclusion removes your access to the Ricky Casino platform for a defined period of your choosing, or permanently. Once self-exclusion is activated, you will not be able to log in or make deposits for the duration of the exclusion. If you attempt to register a new account during a self-exclusion period, that account will be closed.
Self-exclusion is the strongest tool available within the casino environment. It is the appropriate step if you recognise that your gambling has crossed a line and you want a firm mechanism to stop. You can request self-exclusion by contacting our support team directly:
- Email: support@ricky-casino-new-zealand.com
- Phone: +64 27 476 1619
- Live chat: available 24 hours a day from the Ricky Casino website or app
Self-exclusion requests are processed as a priority. If you reach out, someone will respond promptly.
Account Closure
If you wish to close your Ricky Casino account entirely rather than take a temporary break, you can request this through our support team using the same contact details above. You will be able to withdraw any remaining balance before the account is closed. Closed accounts will not be reopened on request during any active exclusion period.
How to Set Limits on Your Account
- Log in to your Ricky Casino account
- Navigate to Account Settings (accessible from your profile icon or the main menu)
- Select the Responsible Gambling section
- Choose the type of limit you want to set (deposit, loss, session time, reality check)
- Enter the amount or duration you are comfortable with and confirm
If you encounter any difficulty finding these settings or want a limit applied immediately rather than navigating the settings yourself, contact our support team via live chat and they will apply it on your behalf without any waiting period.
Protecting Young People
Ricky Casino does not accept registrations from anyone under the age of 18. Age verification is part of our account verification process, and accounts found to belong to underage players will be closed immediately and any funds held returned.
If you share a device with children or teenagers at home, we strongly recommend using device-level parental controls to restrict access to gambling websites. Dedicated parental control tools for this purpose include:
- Net Nanny (netnanny.com) allows you to block gambling categories entirely across devices in your household
- Gamban (gamban.com) is a software tool specifically designed to block access to gambling websites and apps across all devices registered to it
- Bark (bark.us) provides monitoring and filtering tools suitable for households with minors
These tools operate at the device or network level and do not require any action on our end to activate. They are the most effective way to ensure that access to Ricky Casino and similar platforms is unavailable to people in your household who should not have it.
Support Organisations in New Zealand
The following organisations provide free, confidential support for people concerned about their own gambling or someone else’s. They operate entirely independently of Ricky Casino and any other gambling operator. Reaching out to them does not affect your account in any way.
Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand
The Problem Gambling Foundation is a New Zealand-specific service providing counselling, helpline support, and community-based programmes for people affected by problem gambling.
- Helpline: 0800 664 262 (free call, available 24 hours)
- Website: pgf.nz
The Foundation offers one-on-one counselling, group support, and resources for family members of people with gambling problems, not just for the person gambling directly.
Gambling Helpline New Zealand
- Phone: 0800 654 655 (free call, available 24 hours)
- Text: 8006
The Gambling Helpline provides immediate telephone support, referrals to local services, and follow-up contacts for people in crisis or who want to talk through their situation. It is available around the clock including weekends and public holidays.
Gambling Therapy
Gambling Therapy is an international service providing free online support in multiple languages. It offers live chat, a self-help programme, a support forum, and the GamCare Gambling Therapy app.
- Website: gamblingtherapy.org
The online chat service is particularly useful for players who prefer not to speak on the phone or who want to access support at a time when phone lines are quieter.
BeGambleAware
BeGambleAware provides information, advice and support for people affected by problem gambling, including a self-assessment tool, articles and guides, and connections to specialist treatment services.
- Website: begambleaware.org
Lifeline Aotearoa
If gambling-related stress is affecting your mental health more broadly, Lifeline provides 24-hour telephone and text support for people in distress.
- Phone: 0800 543 354 (free call, available 24 hours)
- Text: HELP to 4357
1737 (Need to Talk?)
This is New Zealand’s national mental health and addiction support line, staffed by trained counsellors around the clock.
- Phone or text: 1737 (free, available 24 hours)
Practical Tips for Keeping Gambling Within Healthy Limits
These are not novel suggestions, but they are the ones that actually work in practice for people who gamble regularly and keep it enjoyable.
- Set a budget before you start, not after you have already lost more than you planned. Decide what you are comfortable spending in a session the same way you would budget for any other leisure activity, and treat that amount as gone the moment you deposit it.
- Play with your own disposable income only. If you are using money that has another destination, whether that is rent, a bill, a savings target, or someone else’s money, the session is already a problem.
- Take regular breaks during longer sessions. Stepping away from the screen, even for ten minutes, resets your perspective in a way that continuous play does not.
- Do not chase losses. The psychological pull to recover what you have lost in a session is one of the strongest forces in gambling behaviour, and it almost always results in larger losses. If a session has gone the wrong way, the most reliable response is to close the browser and walk away.
- Avoid gambling when you are drinking heavily, emotionally distressed, or very tired. Decision-making under those conditions consistently leads to different choices than you would make when clear-headed.
- Keep gambling as one of several activities you enjoy, not the primary one. Variety in how you spend your time creates natural limits on how much any single activity, gambling or otherwise, can take over.
- Talk to someone if something feels off. Whether that is a friend, a family member, or one of the support organisations listed above, saying the thought out loud is the step that makes change possible.
Talking to Someone You Are Worried About
It can be difficult to approach someone you are concerned about when gambling seems to be affecting them. Some practical guidance for those conversations:
- Choose a calm, private moment rather than immediately after a gambling incident when emotions are high on both sides.
- Use specific observations rather than general accusations. “I noticed you seemed stressed about money this week” is easier to receive than “you have a gambling problem.”
- Avoid ultimatums in the first conversation. The goal of an initial conversation is to open a door, not to force an immediate outcome.
- Refer them to a support service, including this page, as a practical next step rather than asking them to decide what to do entirely on their own.
- Contact the Problem Gambling Foundation on 0800 664 262 yourself if you want advice on how to help someone before speaking with them directly. They provide guidance for family members and friends, not just for the person gambling.
Contact Ricky Casino About Responsible Gambling
If you want to apply any of the limits or tools described on this page, if you want to self-exclude, or if you have any questions about how our responsible gambling systems work, our support team is available around the clock.
- Live chat: accessible from the bottom of any page on the Ricky Casino website and from within the iOS and Android apps
- Email: support@ricky-casino-new-zealand.com
- Phone: +64 27 476 1619
- Address: 660/670 Great South Road, Ellerslie, Auckland 1051, New Zealand
Responsible gambling requests are handled as a priority within our support team. If you contact us to request a limit, a cooling-off period, or self-exclusion, that action will be taken promptly. We will not attempt to dissuade you from using these tools or delay their application.