Move empowers customers to stay in control of their finances
Westpac NZ has introduced a gambling account block, enabling customers to manage online gambling challenges.
“By introducing the gambling block, we’re empowering our customers to stay in control of their finances,” said Louisa Brock (pictured above), Westpac NZ manager of financial inclusion efforts.
The scale of online gambling in New Zealand
From June to September, Westpac customers spent $136.8 million on online gambling, compared with the $3.2m spent at physical gambling locations over the same period. Nearly half of the online gambling expenditure was on TAB and Lotto, while the rest was spread across a variety of online gambling platforms.
Te Whatu Ora noted that gambling harm affects approximately 186,000 New Zealanders.
“Our data shows that the majority of gambling spending does take place online,” Brock said. “We’ve updated our website to let customers know that the block’s available if they’re looking for support with a gambling problem.”
How the gambling account block works
Customers can easily activate the gambling block on their accounts, preventing transactions with online gambling businesses while still allowing physical gambling transactions. After activation, the gambling block remains effective for at least three months, after which customers may request its removal.
Westpac commitment to customer care
Westpac NZ has already received positive feedback from customers who have used the gambling block, including a compelling case of a customer who significantly reduced their online gambling spending after activating the feature.
“Letting customers know that the gambling block is available hopefully makes it easier for them to have those conversations with our teams, as well as empowering our people to best support our customers,” Brock said.
“As well as introducing the gambling block, we’ve trained our customer-facing teams to have constructive conversations with customers who may be struggling with gambling,” Brock said. “Our people can also work with these customers to structure their accounts to limit gambling spend.”
The gambling block is part of Westpac NZ’s broader Extra Care program, which includes various initiatives to support customers facing financial or personal challenges, from language interpreting services to banking access for prisoners nearing release.
Read the Westpac NZ media release here.
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