Hāpai Te Hauora exposes the game behind game in gambling harm
Hāpai Te Hauora media release: 31st August 2026
This Gambling Harm Awareness Week (31 August to 6 September 2026), Hāpai Te Hauora is asking people to look beyond why someone becomes hooked and consider what has been designed to hook them.
HOOKED is a new online campaign that sparks honest kōrero about some of the strategies gambling operators use to capture attention and keep people playing.
Featuring creators and storytellers Joe Daymond, Montel Tivoli and Tahu Hollis, the campaign explores how gambling is promoted through sport, social media and group culture, while touching on the hooks behind casino environments, online targeting and the belief that it is possible to beat the house.
The campaign comes as New Zealand prepares for a regulated online casino market from 2027, making it even more important that people understand the design features, marketing and other tactics that can encourage people to keep gambling.
Hāpai Te Hauora Chief Operating Officer Jason Alexander says gambling harm is still too often framed as an individual failure.
"The goal of the gambling industry is to keep people playing and extract as much money from them as possible. Harm is the consequence, and it is whānau who are left carrying it," says Alexander.
"By showing people the game behind the game, we can shift the focus away from blame and help whānau understand the influences that can draw them in, keep them playing and bring them back."
Alongside HOOKED, Hāpai will share insights into the psychology behind gambling, rangatahi-led creative content and locally led storytelling from partners across the motu.
Alexander says the campaign is not about policing people’s behaviour or telling whānau what to do.
"It is about giving people the full picture so they can make informed decisions, recognise the red flags and have supportive conversations with the people around them," says Alexander.
"Awareness is important, but people also need to know what they can do next and where they can go for support."
The campaign will connect individuals and whānau with Pātea - a free kaupapa Māori digital platform offering 24/7, judgement-free information, practical tools, lived-experience stories and connections to counselling and local support.
"Gambling harm is bigger than the bet. It can affect relationships, finances, hauora and the wider whānau," says Alexander.
"Our people are not the problem. They deserve information that exposes the systems driving the harm, support that reflects their realities and solutions that protect their mana."
HOOKED was created by Hāpai Te Hauora in collaboration with creative agency Mahi Tahi and will run across digital and social media throughout September 2026.
Watch HOOKED and learn to spot the red flags.
FREE gambling harm information and support is available from Pātea.