Gambling blocker saving people
Kiwibank has become the first bank to let people put a block on payments to casinos and gaming websites from their Visa debit and credit cards.
The scheme to help people struggling with problem gambling was the brainchild of Hayley Beattie from Kiwibank’s ‘‘Make it Right Squad’’.
Beattie identified the impact online gambling had on some customers who were unable to work from home during the alert level 4 lockdown in April and May last year.
The bank offered fee-free, interest-free overdrafts to help people get through that time, but Beattie said: ‘‘We noticed there were some customers who were spending that overdraft on online gambling.’’
‘‘We did see people who were desperate enough to provide something for their family turn to online gambling,’’ Beattie said.
‘‘Some of them told us they thought they could look at being able to win some money.’’
None of them did but the gambling had made their situations worse, she said.
In October last year, the bank’s Household Spending Tracker brought the spike in spending on alcohol and gambling in the first year of the Covid pandemic to public attention.
Kiwibank head of sustainability Julia Jackson said customers involved in the pilot of the payment blocking scheme late last year said they found the block helpful with 75 per cent successfully keeping the block in place for more than three months.
The bank estimated the average customer in the pilot avoided $10,000 in losses over that time.
‘‘The bank is now able to block merchant codes for known gambling websites if a customer requests it,’’ Jackson said.
The bank consulted with the Problem Gambling Foundation as it developed the scheme, she said.
‘‘When our customers trust us enough to discuss their gambling addiction, we’re able to really help them. We work with them to develop a solution that restores their mana and retains their dignity; without any judgment,’’
Jackson said.
Customers ask for payment blocks to be put on their cards via phone banking.
Beattie said though the idea was hers, many people had been involved in taking the idea and turning it into a fully-functioning scheme. ‘‘It is something that is pretty close to my heart, and something I am very proud to have been part of,’’ she said.
Kiwibank believed it was the only bank to offer the scheme.
ANZ spokeswoman Kirsty Martin said ANZ did not have any controls in place that blocked consumers spending on online gambling sites.
The scheme complements a long-running scheme through which gambling addicts could ‘‘ban’’ themselves from casinos and gambling venues.
The Choice Not Chance website advised people on how to ban themselves from gambling venues.
Apps like Betblocker or Gamban could also be used to block access to online gambling websites, the website said.
People could also change the settings on their computer or phone internet browser to block gambling sites manually.
■ The Gambling Helpline is available 24 hours a day on 0800 654 655 offering free confidential support by phone or text.