Problem Gambling Foundation

What Problem Gambling Foundation does

Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (PGF) is a non-profit charitable organization founded in 1988 and headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. It operates as PGF Group, providing free, confidential gambling harm counselling, advice, and support services to individuals and families across New Zealand. PGF delivers services through a hybrid model combining 18 physical clinic locations nationwide (Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin) with remote channels including a freephone helpline (0800 664 262), text support (5819), email, and live chat. The organization's service portfolio encompasses professional counselling, peer and cultural support, public health education, professional referrals from healthcare providers, and specialized programmes such as Hoake. PGF extends culturally tailored services through its subsidiary Asian Family Services and closely aligned Mapu Maia Pasifika Service, addressing disproportionate gambling harm risk among Māori, Pacific, and Asian communities.

PGF generates no direct client revenue — all services are provided free of charge. The organization is funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Health through the problem gambling levy, operating under a managed services contract model. Its customer-facing delivery is augmented by a substantial Knowledge Hub containing 53+ educational resources, an online gambling self-assessment screener (screener.pgf.nz), and a Regional Pokie Stats data platform used by local councils for gambling venue policy reviews. PGF employs 51-100 staff and pursues a hybrid go-to-market model combining direct self-referral intake, professional referrals from GPs and health providers, community outreach campaigns, and policy advocacy. The organization also engages in public health awareness initiatives, including the 2025 'Are You Being Played?' national campaign addressing sports betting harm among young men, and a partnership with the NZ Drug Foundation's Tūturu programme targeting youth gambling exposure in online gaming.

From a technology standpoint, PGF does not operate proprietary technology platforms — it is fundamentally a service-delivery organization. Its technology footprint consists of standard web infrastructure, a screening form, and referral to third-party tools (banking gambling blocks at Kiwibank/ANZ/Westpac, parental control software, gambling site blocking software). The organization complies with the New Zealand Health Information Privacy Code (1994) and is not engaged in AI/ML development or deployment. PGF's competitive position rests on its regulatory mandate as the primary nationwide Ministry of Health-funded gambling harm provider, its distribution footprint of 18 clinics, and its ecosystem of culturally specialized subsidiaries rather than on technology or data assets.

Name

Problem Gambling Foundation

Legal name

Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand

Website

https://pgf.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Problem Gambling Foundation is a New Zealand non-profit founded in 1988 that provides free, Ministry of Health-funded gambling harm counselling and support services through 18 clinics nationwide, serving individuals, whānau, and culturally specific communities via subsidiary Asian Family Services and Mapu Maia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health & Addiction Counselling Services

NAICS

Other Gambling Industries (713290)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Responsible Gambling (RG) Compliance & Player Protection (MPAEAOAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Responsible Gambling & Player Protection Solutions (MPAEACAJ)

Keywords

• Gambling counselling services
• Harm prevention support
• Addiction recovery counselling
• Community health education
• Mental health support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ministry of Health Funding: PGF Services receives government funding from the Ministry of Health to provide gambling harm counselling and support services. The organization is a charitable entity that receives funding to deliver free services to individuals and families affected by gambling harm.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF Services) provides free, confidential gambling counselling, advice, and peer support to individuals, whānau, and friends affected by gambling harm in New Zealand. Services are delivered face-to-face at 18 clinics nationwide and remotely via phone (0800 664 262), text (5819), email, and live chat. The organization also conducts public health education, policy advocacy, and research to reduce gambling harm across Aotearoa.

Product overview

PGF Services (Problem Gambling Foundation) operates as a not-for-profit charitable organisation offering a unified portfolio of free gambling harm support services. The core offering consists of face-to-face counselling at 18 nationwide clinics, supplemented by an online Gambling Screener self-assessment tool and a comprehensive Knowledge Hub with 53+ educational resources. Additional services include Peer & Cultural Support, Public Health & Education programmes, Professional Referrals for healthcare providers, and the specialised Hoake Support Programme. The organisation also provides policy advocacy and data resources through its Regional Pokie Stats platform. PGF Group encompasses subsidiary services including Asian Family Services (for Asian communities) and Mapu Maia (for Pasifika communities), extending culturally appropriate support across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Gambling Counselling Services

Named customers2 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NZ Drug Foundation (Te Puna Whakaiti Pāmamae Kai Whakapiri)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 January 2025PGF partnered with the NZ Drug Foundation's secondary schools programme Tūturu to develop tools and curriculum materials for secondary schools to help counter gambling harm in online gaming, including loot boxes. The partnership aims to increase student awareness and build critical thinking and resilience.
• Asian Family ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAsian Family Services is a subsidiary charitable company of PGF Group that provides culturally appropriate gambling harm services for Asian communities in New Zealand. The organization works closely with PGF Services to deliver specialized support to this demographic.
• Mapu MaiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMapu Maia is a dedicated Pasifika Service closely aligned with PGF that supports Pasifika communities in preventing gambling harm. The organization was reported to flag unregulated online gambling as a growing concern among Pasifika youth.
• Salvation Army OasiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPGF Group co-authored a white paper with Salvation Army Oasis and Hāpai Te Hauora on 'Ending community sector dependence on pokie funding'. The organizations are long concerned about the reliance many community groups have on grants from pokie trusts.
• Hāpai Te HauoracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHāpai Te Hauora co-authored the white paper with PGF Group and Salvation Army Oasis on ending community sector dependence on pokie funding. The organization shares concerns about the ethical dilemma of community groups receiving funding from gambling losses.
• AUT Gambling and Addictions Research CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAUT Gambling and Addictions Research Centre is part of a coalition with PGF Services and other gambling harm service providers (Asian Family Services, Mapu Maia, Purapura Whetu Trust, Te Piki Oranga, Whare Tiaki Hauora) that created a position paper on online gambling regulation. The coalition provides specialist gambling harm support services and conducts research.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GambleAware: UK independent gambling-harm charity that funds research, treatment, and prevention — a structural peer given its levy-funded model and remit spanning treatment, education, and research very similar to PGF's integrated approach.
• GamCare: UK-based charity delivering free gambling harm counselling, treatment, and education nationally — the closest direct analogue to PGF Services in terms of nationwide free counselling funded by gambling-derived levies.
• Mapu Maia: Pasifika-aligned gambling harm service closely tied to PGF Group — peer operating a culturally specific delivery model parallel to PGF's mainstream clinics.
• Asian Family Services: Wholly-owned PGF subsidiary providing culturally tailored gambling harm support to Asian communities in NZ — peer insofar as it operates the same harm-prevention service model for a narrower demographic.
• Gordon Moody Association: UK charity delivering gambling addiction counselling, residential treatment, and training — closely comparable specialist treatment provider with education/training extensions.
• National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG): US national nonprofit advocating for problem gambling services and operating the National Problem Gambling Helpline — directly comparable national advocacy + helpline model funded through state contracts and donations.

Others

• BetBlocker: Free gambling site-blocking software listed by PGF as one of the tools it recommends — an adjacent ecosystem participant enabling client self-exclusion alongside professional counselling.

Emerging players

• Salvation Army Oasis Centre: NZ Salvation Army's addiction services include gambling harm support and co-authored PGF's community-sector pokie-funding white paper — a partial-overlap peer in service delivery and policy advocacy.
• Gamblers Anonymous New Zealand: NZ fellowship-based peer-support service for problem gamblers — complementary rather than directly competing with PGF, but addressing the same client base via a peer-led model.

Broad incumbents

• Responsibility.org (US): US nonprofit funded by leading distillers to combat underage drinking — broader public-health advocacy peer with analogous funder-funded prevention focus, though alcohol rather than gambling.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pgfnz
• Facebookfacebook.com/PGFNZ
• Instagraminstagram.com/pgfservices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pgfservices

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Problem Gambling Foundation