How to block betting sites and apps on Android

Android does not have one built in switch for this, so the answer is a short stack: block the sites at the network level, block the apps with a gambling blocker, and make the whole thing hard to undo in the moment you want to undo it.

Step one: block the sites

The wall that covers every browser is a filtered DNS setting, which stops the phone from looking up betting sites at all. It works in Chrome, Samsung Internet, Firefox and inside other apps. The guided setup with every tap shown is at holdthebet.com/setup and takes a few minutes.

Step two: block the apps

A site wall does not stop an app that is already installed. A dedicated gambling blocker does. BetBlocker (betblocker.org) is free and run by a charity. Gamban (gamban.com) is paid. Both block gambling sites and apps on the device.

Step three: make it hard to undo

A block you can lift in one tap is a suggestion. Ask the person you trust most to set the blocker password, or the lock on the setting, without telling you what it is. Lifting the block then means a phone call, which is the conversation that helps.

What this does not cover

It does not close your accounts. Lock those too: self exclude from every sportsbook in one night. It does not cover a second phone, a laptop on another network, or a friend who places the bet for you.

While the urge passes