How to Block Gambling Apps on Your Phone (iPhone & Android)

Key Takeaways:

• Deleting gambling apps is a start, but a gambling blocker app or phone-level restriction is what actually prevents relapse
• iPhone users can use Screen Time to block gambling websites and prevent app reinstallation -- but have someone else set the passcode
• Android users can use Digital Wellbeing and Google Family Link for similar restrictions
• Gamban ($3/month) and BetBlocker (free) are purpose-built gambling blocker apps that work across all devices
• DNS-level blocking adds a network-wide safety net that covers browsers, apps, and devices you might forget about
• The goal is not to make gambling impossible, but to make it hard enough that the urge passes before you can act on it

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You already know you need to block gambling apps. Maybe you have deleted them before -- maybe several times -- and found yourself reinstalling them within days or hours. Deleting an app is a gesture. Blocking it is a barrier.

This guide walks through every practical method for blocking gambling on your phone, step by step. No fluff, no lectures about willpower. Just the specific settings, tools, and configurations that actually work, organized from simplest to most comprehensive.

The single most important thing you can read in this entire article is this: have someone you trust set the passcodes and PINs. Every blocking method described below can be bypassed by the person who set it up, if they know the password. The point is to make sure that person is not you.

Give the passcode to a partner, a friend, a family member, a therapist, a sponsor -- whoever you trust to hold it and not hand it back when you ask at midnight on a Sunday.

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All Blocking Methods at a Glance

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Step 1: Delete Every Gambling App

Before you build the walls, clear the ground. Delete every gambling app from every device.

How to Delete Apps: iPhone vs. Android

Go through your entire phone. The obvious ones: DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, ESPN BET, PointsBet, BetRivers, WynnBET, Barstool. But also check for:

• Daily fantasy apps (they often include sports betting)
• Casino apps (BetMGM Casino, DraftKings Casino, etc.)
• Poker apps (WSOP, PokerStars, Global Poker)
• Lottery apps (Jackpocket, state lottery apps)
• Any app you have ever used to place a wager of any kind

Check your tablet too, if you have one. Check your old phone that is sitting in a drawer, if it still works. Check your laptop browser bookmarks.

While you are at it, do this:

• Clear saved passwords for gambling sites in your browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox -- all of them)
• Remove saved payment methods from gambling accounts if you have not already self-excluded
• Unsubscribe from gambling emails. Search your inbox for "DraftKings," "FanDuel," etc. and unsubscribe from every promotional email. Those "free bet" offers are engineered to pull you back.

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Step 2: Block Gambling on iPhone Using Screen Time

Screen Time is built into every iPhone running iOS 12 or later. It can block specific websites, prevent app installations, and restrict content categories. Here is how to configure it as a gambling blocker.

Set Up Screen Time With a Separate Passcode

• Open Settings > Screen Time
• If Screen Time is not already enabled, tap Turn On Screen Time and follow the prompts
• Tap Use Screen Time Passcode
• Hand your phone to someone you trust and have them enter a 4-digit passcode that you do not know. This is the most important step in this entire process. If you set the passcode yourself, you will bypass it. This is not a judgment about your character -- it is how brains work when they are craving something.
• They will need to confirm the passcode and optionally set up recovery via Apple ID

Block Gambling Websites

• In Screen Time, tap Content & Privacy Restrictions
• Toggle Content & Privacy Restrictions to on (green)
• Tap Content Restrictions
• Tap Web Content
• Select Limit Adult Websites -- this enables the ability to manually block specific URLs
• Under the Never Allow section, tap Add Website
• Add each gambling site individually. Here are the major ones:

Add any others you have used. When in doubt, add it. You can always have your passcode holder remove a site later if it was a false positive.

Prevent App Installation

• In Content & Privacy Restrictions, tap iTunes & App Store Purchases
• Set Installing Apps to Don't Allow
• Optionally, set Deleting Apps to Don't Allow as well -- this prevents you from deleting and reinstalling blockers like Gamban or BetBlocker

With these settings, attempting to download any app from the App Store will fail, and attempting to visit a blocked gambling site in Safari will show a restriction notice. Both require the Screen Time passcode (which you do not know) to change.

Restrict App Store Search Results

• In Content Restrictions, tap Apps
• Set the age rating to 12+ or lower. Most gambling apps are rated 17+ in the App Store. Setting the restriction to 12+ hides them from search results entirely, adding one more layer of friction even if app installation is re-enabled later.

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Step 3: Block Gambling on Android

Android's built-in tools are less centralized than iOS, but you can achieve similar results with a combination of settings and Google Family Link.

Use Google Family Link

Google Family Link was designed for parents to manage children's devices, but it works perfectly as a self-restriction tool when managed by a trusted person.

• Have your trusted person install Google Family Link (Parent) on their phone from the Play Store
• On your phone, install Google Family Link (Child/Teen) or follow the setup instructions to link your Google account to their Family Link
• Follow the on-screen pairing process -- your trusted person will need to approve the connection from their device
• Once linked, your trusted person can:

- Block specific apps from their Family Link dashboard - Prevent new app installations by requiring approval for every download - Set content restrictions in the Google Play Store to hide gambling apps - Lock the device if needed during a crisis moment

Set Content Restrictions in Google Play

Even without Family Link, you can restrict what appears in the Play Store:

• Open the Google Play Store app
• Tap your profile icon > Settings > Family > Parental Controls
• Toggle Parental Controls on
• Set a PIN (again, have someone else set this)
• Under Apps & Games, set the rating to Rated for 12+ or lower
• This hides gambling apps (typically rated 18+/Mature) from Play Store search results

Block Gambling Sites in Chrome

• If you use Chrome, you can install a gambling-blocking extension on desktop Chrome that syncs to mobile (limited effectiveness)
• For mobile Chrome, DNS-level blocking (covered in Step 5) is the most effective approach
• You can also switch your default browser to one with built-in content filtering, such as Spin Safe Browser, which allows a trusted person to manage blocked categories

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Step 4: Install a Dedicated Gambling Blocker App

Phone-level restrictions are strong, but a dedicated gambling blocker app adds specialized coverage that generic tools miss. These apps maintain updated databases of thousands of gambling domains and are specifically designed to be difficult to remove.

Gamban vs. BetBlocker: Detailed Comparison

Gamban (~$3/month or ~$30/year)

Gamban is the most comprehensive gambling blocker available. It blocks over 55,000 gambling sites and apps, and updates its database continuously as new gambling platforms launch.

iPhone Setup:

• Go to gamban.com and create an account
• Download Gamban from the App Store (you may need to temporarily enable app installation via your Screen Time passcode holder)
• Open the app and sign in
• Follow the setup wizard -- Gamban installs a VPN configuration profile that routes your traffic through its filter
• You will be prompted to allow the VPN configuration in your iPhone settings -- tap "Allow"
• Once active, a small VPN icon appears in your status bar indicating Gamban is filtering traffic
• Re-disable app installation in Screen Time after installing

Android Setup:

• Go to gamban.com and create an account
• Download Gamban from the Play Store
• Open the app and sign in
• Grant the requested permissions -- Gamban requires accessibility access and device admin rights to function and to resist removal
• Follow the setup wizard to activate protection
• Once running, Gamban blocks gambling apps from opening and gambling websites from loading in any browser

Why Gamban is hard to remove (by design):

• On iPhone, removing the VPN profile requires your Gamban account password. If you set a strong, random password and gave it to your trusted person (or used a password manager they control), you cannot remove it.
• On Android, Gamban uses device administrator rights, which means it cannot be uninstalled through normal means. Removing it requires going to Settings > Security > Device Administrators, deactivating Gamban, and then uninstalling -- a multi-step process that gives you time to reconsider.

BetBlocker (Free)

BetBlocker is a free, charity-run gambling blocker app. It is less comprehensive than Gamban but covers the major platforms and is a solid option if cost is a barrier.

Setup (iPhone and Android):

• Go to betblocker.org
• Download the app for your device
• Open the app and choose your blocking period: options range from 1 month to 5 years
• Important: once set, the blocking period cannot be shortened or removed until it expires. Choose a longer period than you think you need.
• Follow the device-specific setup instructions to enable the content filter

BetBlocker and Gamban can run simultaneously. Using both gives you overlapping coverage -- if one misses a site, the other is likely to catch it.

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Step 5: Set Up DNS-Level Blocking

DNS (Domain Name System) is how your device translates website names into IP addresses. By changing your DNS settings to use a filtered DNS provider, you can block entire categories of websites -- including gambling -- at the network level. This works in every browser and most apps, without installing anything.

DNS Provider Options

On Your Home Router (Covers All Devices on Your Network)

• Log into your router's admin panel (usually at 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 -- check your router's manual or the sticker on the bottom)
• Find the DNS settings (often under WAN, Internet, or Network settings)
• Replace the existing DNS servers with one of the filtered options above
• Save settings and restart your router

This blocks gambling sites for every device connected to your home Wi-Fi -- phones, tablets, laptops, smart TVs, everything.

On iPhone (Works Everywhere, Including Mobile Data)

• Open Settings > Wi-Fi
• Tap the info (i) button next to your connected network
• Scroll down to Configure DNS
• Change from Automatic to Manual
• Delete existing DNS servers and add the CleanBrowsing or OpenDNS addresses above
• Tap Save

Note: this only applies to the current Wi-Fi network. For coverage on cellular data, you can install a DNS profile:

• In Safari, go to cleanbrowsing.org/guides/dnsovertls
• Download the iOS configuration profile for the Adult Filter
• Go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management > Install the profile
• This routes all DNS queries (Wi-Fi and cellular) through CleanBrowsing's filtered servers

On Android (Works Everywhere)

Android 9 and later supports Private DNS:

• Open Settings > Network & Internet > Private DNS (on some phones, search "Private DNS" in Settings)
• Select Private DNS provider hostname
• Enter: adult-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org
• Tap Save

This applies to all connections -- Wi-Fi and cellular. All gambling domains in CleanBrowsing's database will fail to resolve, showing an error page instead of the gambling site.

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Step 6: State Self-Exclusion Registries

Most states with legal gambling maintain self-exclusion registries. When you add yourself to your state's registry, every licensed gambling operator in the state is required to refuse your bets, close your accounts, and remove you from marketing lists.

This is more powerful than platform-by-platform self-exclusion because it covers every operator at once, including new ones that launch after you register.

How to find your state's registry:

• Search "[your state] gambling self-exclusion program"
• Or visit the NCPG's directory at ncpgambling.org for links to each state's program

What to expect:

• Most states allow online registration; some require an in-person visit or notarized form
• Exclusion periods vary: common options are 1 year, 5 years, or lifetime
• Once enrolled, operators must make reasonable efforts to prevent you from gambling (closing online accounts, removing you from mailing lists, refusing service at physical locations)
• Violating your own self-exclusion (attempting to gamble despite being on the list) generally results in forfeiture of any winnings, not legal penalties

Multi-state coverage: If you live near a state border or travel frequently, consider enrolling in neighboring states' programs as well. Some states have reciprocity agreements, but many do not.

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Step 7: Ask Someone to Hold the Keys

This has come up in every section, and it deserves its own emphasis. The most sophisticated blocking setup in the world fails if you hold all the passwords.

Here is what to hand over:

This is not about giving up control. It is about distributing control so that the impulsive part of your brain -- the part that wants to gamble at 11 PM after a bad day -- does not have unilateral authority. The rational part of your brain is the one asking someone to hold the keys. Trust that version of yourself.

If you do not have a person you trust with this, that is okay. Gamban and BetBlocker are designed to work without a trusted person -- their time-locked blocking cannot be removed even by you. But if you have someone, use them. Human accountability is the strongest blocker there is.

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What to Do When Blocking Is Not Enough

Blocking tools are infrastructure. They buy you time. They turn a 4-second impulse into a 30-minute problem-solving exercise, and most urges do not survive 30 minutes.

But blocking does not address the underlying drive to gamble. If you find yourself spending significant mental energy trying to get around your own blocks -- or if you do get around them -- that is not a failure of the tools. It is a signal that you need additional support.

• National Problem Gambling Helpline: Call or text 1-800-522-4700, available 24/7
• Gamblers Anonymous: Free meetings, in-person and online, at gamblersanonymous.org
• Therapy: The NCPG maintains a directory of certified gambling counselors at ncpgambling.org. Many offer telehealth and sliding-scale fees.

Blocking and support are not either/or. The people with the strongest recoveries typically use both -- barriers to handle the urges and support to address the roots.