Block betting apps and sites
Blocking works best in layers. Turn on the phone's own content limits for betting sites, hand the passcode for those limits to someone you trust, and ask your bank to block gambling payments. Then turn off promo texts and emails. Each layer adds a step between the urge and the bet, and those steps give the urge time to pass.
If tonight is hard: call or text 988 (US/Canada) or 1-800-MY-RESET (US), 24/7. If you are in danger, call your local emergency number.
Guides on this topic
- How to block betting sites on your iPhone in 60 secondsA free way to block any betting site in Safari and Chrome on iPhone using Screen Time, no app, no account, and the one step that stops you lifting it.
- How to block betting sites and apps on AndroidBlock betting sites and apps on Android for free: what each option covers, and the step that stops you switching it off at midnight.
- How to stop betting on your phoneHow to stop betting on your phone: five changes that put real steps between you and the next bet, all set up tonight, for free.
- Gambling block too easy to undo? How to make it harderYou set up a block, then undid it in a minute, or found a new site it missed. Why blocks slip, and how to add a little friction where it counts.
- Deleted the betting app again? Why it keeps coming backWhy deleting the app is the move that keeps failing, what can break the reinstall loop, and a free way to put something between you and the download.
- Gambling blocker apps compared: what each does and costsAn honest side by side of Gamban, BetBlocker, DNS filters, phone controls and Hold The Bet: price, what each blocks, and what none of them can do alone.
- How to block prediction market apps and sites on your phoneSteps for iPhone and Android to block prediction market apps and sites, hand the passcode to someone you trust, and add a pause.
- How to ask your bank to block gambling transactionsMany banks and card providers have ways to limit gambling payments. How to ask, what to say and what to do if the answer is no.
- How to get fewer betting ads and promo textsBetting promos arrive by text, email, push and in your feed. Steps to turn each one off, and what to do when they keep coming.
- Free bets and bonus offers when you are trying to stopFree bets and bonus offers land hardest when you are trying to stop. How to turn off the promos, texts and emails in a few minutes tonight.
- Self exclusion or a blocker app: which should you do first?Self exclusion closes your accounts. A blocker stops the sites loading. What each one does, and a simple order if you are setting both up tonight.
- Is there a free app to stop gambling? What costs nothingIs there a free app to stop gambling? Which tools cost nothing, what each one does, and how to use them together tonight without paying.
- A stop gambling app with no account and no downloadA stop gambling app with no account, no email and no download. What works without signing up, what stays on your phone, and when an account helps.
- How to pause before a bet on a prediction market appYes or No prices, a live chart and one tap to buy. A short plan for the minute before you place a bet on a prediction market or event contract app.
Questions
- Can I block betting sites on my phone for free?
- Yes. iPhone Screen Time and Android's built in controls can block betting sites and apps at no cost. The guides below walk through each, step by step.
- How do I stop myself turning the block off?
- Let someone you trust set the passcode, and add a second layer such as a bank gambling block, so undoing one wall still leaves another.
- Should I self exclude or use a blocker first?
- Both help, and they cover different things. A phone block works tonight; self exclusion closes accounts. The guide on which to do first explains the order.
Hold The Bet opens a pause before the bet: your own reason, a 30 second breath, one tap to text someone. Free, no account.
Plant my seed