How do you help a gambler?

Any tips on how to help my bestie who is addicted to the pokies? (slot machines to you northern hemisphere kids)
I feel kinda helpless to help him as he has no interest in stopping.
Buuuuuut the bigger problem is that hes started selling meth to support his gambling. Meth dealing here in NZ pretty much
always gets you the maximum sentence available. I dont wanna see him go to prison for years and years............

:

Gambling addiction is ferocious. Like alcohol it is legal and readily available. All the same stuff happens in your head as far as the reward pathways etc as would happen were you addicted to a substance. I think it is like any other addiction--you offer honesty without judgment. That's a hard line to hold sometimes but it's really all you can do. I'm sure you have already communicated your fears. Sorry. I know it is hard to watch helplessly from the outside.

One of my aunts was addicted to gambling. She had been a school librarian and had retired with a full salary pension. She borrowed against it and lost everything within a few years. Another aunt took her in, gave her work but demanded that she give up her credit cards and let her help settle all the debts. Within a year my gambling aunt had secretly gotten new credit cards and was up to her ears in debt again.

NAC has been shown to reduce gambling addiction.