Want to stop betting but not ready to tell anyone?

Yes, you can start tonight without telling anyone. Below are steps you can take on your own, and a short way to tell one person when you are ready.

Keeping it private for now is common. It is a way of going at your own speed.

Private steps for tonight

About twenty minutes. Do as many as you can.

1. Write one line about why. "I want to stop because ___." Keep it in your notes. It is the first thing to read when the urge comes.
2. Log out and take out the cards. Log out of every betting app. Remove saved cards from the apps and from your browser, so a deposit takes real effort.
3. Turn off the nudges. Turn off notifications from betting apps. Unsubscribe from promo emails, or send them to a folder you do not open.
4. Delete the apps. Know that deleting is a step, not a wall. The account and its saved card can still be there. See why deleting the app alone keeps failing.
5. Block the sites on your phone. You can do it alone, on iPhone or Android. If you want a stronger lock without telling anyone, set the passcode, write it down, seal it in an envelope, and keep it somewhere that takes effort to reach. Opening it becomes a decision, not a tap. For prediction market apps, see how to block them.
6. Close the accounts you use most. Self exclusion is a request you make to the company. Here is each sportsbook's page.
7. Open your card. It is free and has no account, so there is nothing to sign up for and no one to tell.
8. Keep a private note. Date, time, what happened, what you did instead. Only for you.

Talk to someone who is not in your life

You can tell a stranger before you tell anyone you know.

• US: the National Problem Gambling Helpline, 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738). Call, text or chat, 24/7. Free and confidential.
• Canada: there is no single national gambling line. BC: 1-888-795-6111. Ontario: 1-866-531-2600 or text CONNEX to 247247. Other provinces: gamblingguidelines.ca/getting-help.
• UK: GamCare, 0808 8020 133, free, 24/7.
• Meetings: Gamblers Anonymous, gamblersanonymous.org.

If hiding it is getting heavy, or you are having thoughts of hurting yourself, call or text 988 (in Canada, 9-8-8). Free and confidential, 24/7.

Some things are hard to keep private

Bank and card statements, shared accounts and a partner who sees the phone can all show it. It helps to know this now, so a surprise does not make the choice for you. You can decide when and how to tell, and you can decide before a statement does.

When you are ready to tell one person

You do not have to tell everyone. You do not have to tell the whole story. One person is enough to start.

1. Pick the person. Someone who listens before they fix. A friend, a sibling, a counselor, a doctor, or someone at a meeting. A helpline counselor counts.
2. Pick the way. A text first is fine. Or a walk, where you are side by side and no one has to look at the other.
3. Say three short lines. "I have been betting more than I want to. I am working on it. I do not need you to fix it, I would like you to know."
4. Ask for one thing. "Can you check on me on Sunday?" or "Can you hold a passcode for me?" A small ask is easier to say yes to.
5. Give them time. A first reaction can be surprise or worry. That does not have to be the last word. You still have the helpline.

If the person is your partner, read how to tell your partner you have been gambling.

If you are not ready yet

That is allowed. Keep the private steps going. Look at this page again in a week, and see if "not yet" has changed. Nothing here has a deadline. If you slip, the steps you took are still yours. If you do slip, read what to do after a slip.

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.