The urge to gamble right now: the next 10 minutes

Put the phone down, set a timer for ten minutes, and do the steps below one at a time. You do not have to settle the whole night. You only have to get through the next ten minutes.

An urge often changes when you give it a little time and something else to do. Ten minutes will not fix everything, but it puts a gap between the urge and the bet, and that gap is yours to use.

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 ten minutes

1. Minute 0 to 1: Stop and move. Close the betting app without tapping anything. Put the phone face down, in another room if you can. Start a ten minute timer.
2. Minute 1 to 3: Say it out loud. "I want to bet on ___ because ___." Name the feeling under it: a loss you want back, boredom, stress, a game on, the rush. You do not have to fix the feeling. Naming it can make it easier to handle.
3. Minute 3 to 5: Change what your body is doing. Drink a glass of water. Wash your hands and face in cold water. Stand up, walk around, or step outside. Breathe out slowly ten times.
4. Minute 5 to 7: Make the bet harder to place. Log out of the app. Turn off its notifications. Do not add money to any account. If a card is saved, take it out when you can.
5. Minute 7 to 9: Reach one person. Text someone: "Rough moment. Can you talk for five minutes?" If there is no one you want to tell, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738) in the US. It is free, confidential and open 24 hours. In Canada, see the lines at the bottom of this page.
6. Minute 9 to 10: Decide later. When the timer goes off, ask yourself: "Do I still want it?" If you do, that is common. Start another ten minutes, or write the bet down and decide tomorrow, not tonight.

You can repeat this as many times as you need. A second round is fine. It is the plan doing its job, which is to give you time.

If you already placed a bet

Stop there. Do not place a second bet to get the first one back. That pull is common and it is loud, but it is the same urge in a different shape. Read what to do after a slip and how chasing losses works.

If it is late, or the bet is on a prediction market app

The urge is the same on newer apps that use words like trading, positions and contracts. If it is late at night, read the urge to gamble at night. For prediction market apps, see how to pause before a bet on a prediction market app and fantasy sports and prediction market bets.

After the ten minutes

When the moment is quieter, make the next one easier. Block betting sites on your iPhone, self exclude from every sportsbook, and pick one person to text next time. If you want a number to call or text from your country, see gambling helplines by country.

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. Set it up when things are calmer, so it is ready next time.