How to block gambling sites, apps and bank payments

You want to close the door. Not with another promise to yourself, but properly. So there are a few locks between you and a bet when the urge comes.

Good. In my experience this is the step that makes the biggest difference in the first months.

I will walk you through what works on your phone, your laptop and your bank card. And I will be honest about the gaps, because no single block is watertight.

Why blocking works

The urge to gamble peaks and then fades. Usually within 20 minutes.

A block buys you those 20 minutes. The more locks on the door, the longer it takes to get through. And the more likely the urge has passed before you manage it.

Willpower does not have to carry it alone. That is the whole point.

Step 1: GamStop

If you gamble online in Great Britain, start here. GamStop excludes you from websites and apps run by companies licensed in Great Britain. You choose six months, one year, five years, or five years that renews itself.

Nobody can end it early. And it does not stop by itself when your period ends: you have to ask for removal, and then there is a 24-hour cooling-off period. More on that in Can you cancel GamStop early?

GamStop has one big gap. Sites without a British licence do not take part. That is what the next steps are for.

Step 2: block it on your phone

Your phone is where it usually happens. On the sofa, in bed, in the bathroom. So start there.

A gambling blocker app. These apps block gambling sites and apps across all your devices:

BetBlocker is free and has no ads. It works on iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and more. You pick a period. A block of two months or longer stays on until you switch it off yourself, and then there is a one-week cooling-off period.
Gamban is paid, with a 7-day free trial. One licence covers all your devices.

iPhone: Screen Time. Go to Settings, Screen Time, Content & Privacy Restrictions. Under web content you can add sites that are never allowed. The key part: let someone else choose the Screen Time passcode. Then you cannot undo it on a bad night.

Delete the gambling apps. All of them. Including the one you keep "just for the scores".

Step 3: block it on your laptop

The same blocker app (BetBlocker or Gamban) works on a laptop. Install it on every device you use. Including the old tablet in the drawer.

Step 4: turn on your bank's gambling block

This is where the UK is ahead of most countries. Most big banks let you block gambling card payments in their app. Several of them build in a delay before you can turn it off again. That delay is the protection.

What the banks say themselves:

Monzo: when you set up the block, you choose a cooldown period, anywhere from two days to a year. You have to wait that out before you can switch it off.
Starling: Cards, Gambling controls. Turning it off has a 48-hour delay. Starling says it may not catch every gambling payment.
Lloyds: a gambling freeze on your debit card in the app. It applies instantly. Turn it off and the freeze lifts after 48 hours. Credit cards cannot be used for gambling at all.
NatWest: Manage Cards, Card payment controls, Gambling. App only. Turning it off means a 48-hour cooling-off period.
Santander: you can block gambling on your debit Mastercard in the app. Removing it takes 48 hours. Santander credit cards cannot be used for gambling. You can also ask to lower your daily cash withdrawal limit.
Barclays: Your cards, Merchant control, gambling category. Barclays does not say on that page whether there is a delay to switch it off.
Revolut: Security, Payments, Gambling block. Switching it off can take up to 48 hours.

Two things every bank mentions in its own words: the block covers card payments, not bank transfers or every payment app. And a gambling company that uses a different merchant code can slip through. So the bank works best together with the next step.

Step 5: money that is not there cannot be gambled

What helped me most was not an app. It was this: a separate account for fixed costs, someone who looks over my shoulder, and a fixed amount per week to live on. When it is gone, it is gone.

Here is how:

Bills in a separate account. Rent, energy, insurance and debt repayments go to a second account on payday. No card attached.
A weekly allowance. A fixed amount goes to your current account every week. That is all there is.
No buffer in your current account. Savings sit somewhere you cannot reach instantly.
Overdraft off. Bring it down to zero. No new credit.
Someone looks with you. A partner, parent or friend who is allowed to see your statements. Not to police you. To take the secret out of it.

If you have debt, Rebuilding your finances after gambling has a plan you can actually stick to.

Step 6: hand over the key

This is the step people skip. It might be the most important one.

Every block you can switch off yourself, you will want to switch off on a bad night. That is not failure. That is how addiction works.

So:

Let someone else choose your Screen Time passcode.
Pick a long period in BetBlocker, and a long cooldown at your bank if it offers one.
Tell someone which blocks you have set up.

No one nearby to hold a code? Then choose the longest periods you dare. So undoing them at least takes time.

What blocking does not fix

Blocking removes access. It does not remove the urge, or the empty evenings gambling leaves behind.

Those evenings need somewhere else to go. That is what What to do instead of gambling is about.

And if you keep finding a way around every block, read Does self-exclusion work for gambling? It covers building more layers, and when it is time to get help from outside.

Do one thing today

Not everything at once. Pick one and do it now:

Sign up to GamStop.
Install BetBlocker.
Turn on the gambling block in your banking app.
Text someone: "I'm blocking my gambling. Will you hold a code for me?"

Tomorrow, the next one.

In the Afterbetting app, "Block gambling sites and apps" is one of the first steps on your list. And if the urge comes before everything is in place, tap Help. A timer, a message to your person and the helpline are ready.

Frequently asked questions

Can my bank block gambling?

Most big UK banks can, in their app. Monzo, Starling, Lloyds, NatWest, Santander, Barclays and Revolut all describe a gambling block on their own sites. Most have a delay of 48 hours or more before it switches off.

How do I block gambling sites on my iPhone?

In Settings, Screen Time, Content & Privacy Restrictions you can set specific sites to never allow. Let someone else choose the passcode. A blocker app like BetBlocker or Gamban blocks gambling sites in one go.

Does GamStop block offshore gambling sites?

No. GamStop covers companies licensed in Great Britain. Sites without a British licence do not take part. That is why a blocker app and a bank block help.

Can I turn a block off later?

It depends. GamStop cannot end early. BetBlocker has a one-week cooling-off for long blocks. Most bank blocks take 48 hours to lift, and at Monzo it is the cooldown you chose. That delay is the protection.

Sources

Blocking is step one

The app helps with the rest: your days, your money back in order and help one tap away when the urge comes.

Start free