Betting on elections and events from your phone: a plan

The news is on, the result is a day away, and your phone can turn it into a bet. Elections, awards, rate decisions and big games all get a Yes or No price. When the headline becomes the bet, it is hard to just watch.

Why events are hard to resist

The event has a date, and the date creates a rush: now or never. Every new poll, headline or post nudges you toward one more bet. Alerts and live prices keep the feeling going, and it feels like having an opinion rather than placing a bet. A national problem gambling group says these products function like gambling whatever the label, so a plan for them is a plan for gambling.

Before the big day

1. Mark the dates. Election night, the final, the announcement. Those are your hard hours. Plan for them like you would plan for a hard game day.
2. Take the apps off the first screen. Log out and turn off price and news alerts.
3. Remove saved payment details from any app that lets you bet on events.
4. Pick a different job for that night. Dinner with someone, a walk, a call. Phone in another room.
5. Tell one person. "On election night I want to stay away from betting apps. Can I text you at nine?"

On the night

• Follow the news from one place. One source, not a feed full of odds.
• Mute the market talk. Mute group chats and accounts that post prices and screenshots. See when your group chat is all bets if that is where it lives.
• Wait for the next break. Decide after the result, not during the count.
• If the urge spikes, open your card first, before any app. Thirty seconds with your own reason on the screen.
• Keep opinions free of stakes. A pick with a friend and no money in it is fine. Stop if it starts to feel like a bet.

The morning after

Whatever happened, do not try to win it back today. Read what to do after a slip, and the first 30 days without gambling.

Pause before the next bet

Hold The Bet is free with no account. It shows your own number and reason and holds a 30 second pause before you bet.