Your team is losing and you want to bet: what to do mid game

Your team is behind, maybe you already have a bet on it, and a voice says one more will fix it. Back the comeback. Win it back. Make the night feel better. That pull is strong because you care about the game and you are already upset.

The urge is about the feeling, not about the odds. You can let it pass.

If you feel unsafe or are thinking about hurting yourself, call or text 988 now (in Canada, 9-8-8). If you are in danger, call your local emergency number.

The next five minutes

1. Close the app without tapping. Do not open the live line to look. Looking is how the next bet starts.
2. Put the phone face down, across the room. Watch the next few plays without it.
3. Name it. Say to yourself: "This is the urge to win it back. It is not a plan."
4. Stand up and change something. Water, a door, a window, a different chair. Moving your body can break the loop of watching and refreshing.
5. Text one person. "My team is losing and I want to bet. Can you talk for five minutes?" If you want someone you do not know, you can text a helpline instead of calling.

The rest of the game

• Watch it for the game, not the line. If it is too hard to watch without betting, turn it off. You can catch the result later.
• Skip the live bets. They move every play and make the next decision seem urgent. How to stop live betting during the game.
• Do not hedge or double up. A second bet to cover the first is still a bet. Chasing losses and what to do explains why it pulls so hard.

If they come back and win

A comeback can feel like a sign you should have bet. It is the same urge in a different shape. Read urge to bet after a win.

If you already bet

Stop there. One bet does not need a second to fix it. Read what to do after a slip.

Before the next game

Set the wall up before kickoff, not during: self exclude from every sportsbook and block the sites on your iPhone or Android.

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.