How to block gambling apps and sites on iPhone

If gambling has already cost you money

Blocking apps is useful, but it is not where to start if gambling has cost money you can't spare, or you are hiding it from people close to you. Call a helpline or self-exclude first. In the US, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738): call or text, or chat online through NCPG. More helplines are listed at the end of this page.

Not sure how serious it is? The gambling self-test uses the Problem Gambling Severity Index, the nine-question screen used in gambling research. It takes about two minutes, and nothing is saved.

Why one blocker isn't enough

An urge to gamble looks for the nearest open door: the app, the website in a browser, a new account with a different operator, a card payment. Each layer below closes a different door.

Step 1: Delete gambling apps and block reinstalls

These are Apple's steps for iOS 18 and iOS 26. Check your version in Settings > General > About.

1. Withdraw what you can, then delete the appsDeleting an app doesn't close your account. Withdraw any balance first if you can. Then touch and hold each gambling app, tap Remove App, then Delete App.
2. Turn on Content & Privacy RestrictionsGo to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.
3. Block new installsTap iTunes & App Store Purchases and set Installing Apps to Don't Allow. Switch it back briefly when you need a legitimate app.
4. Or block apps by age ratingTap App Store, Media, Web, & Games, then Apps. On iOS 26, Apple rates apps with real-money gambling 18+, so choosing 16+ hides them. On iOS 18 they are rated 17+, so choose 12+. This also hides every other app above that rating.
5. Lock itIn Settings > Screen Time, scroll down and tap Lock Screen Time Settings. Let someone you trust choose the passcode.

Step 2: Block gambling websites

On iOS 18 and 26, go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > App Store, Media, Web, & Games > Web Content. Select Limit Adult Websites, tap Add Website below Never Allow and enter each site you used to gamble on.

This has two limits. The automatic part of the filter targets adult content, not gambling, so only the sites you type are blocked. And Apple documents the filter for Safari, so test it in any other browser you have. Operators run many domains, which is why the next layer matters.

Step 3: Add a gambling blocker

A gambling blocker is an app that keeps a list of thousands of gambling sites and apps and blocks them across browsers and apps on your device. Some are free, some are paid. When you choose one, look for three things: a gambling category kept up to date, protection on Wi-Fi and cellular, and an off switch that is hard to use on impulse.

Free family DNS services usually filter adult content and malware, not gambling, so check that a filter actually has a gambling category before relying on it.

Step 4: Self-exclude from gambling

Self-exclusion asks the operators themselves to refuse you. It works even on a borrowed phone, which no blocker can promise. In a review of self-exclusion studies, people who self-excluded generally reported gambling less and feeling better, although programs did not stop every breach.

• UK: GAMSTOP. Free for UK residents. It blocks you from all online gambling companies licensed in Great Britain for 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, or 5 years with auto-renewal. It can take up to 24 hours to start. It does not end on its own: when the period is over you stay excluded until you contact GAMSTOP, and removal has a 24-hour cooling-off period.
• US: your state's program. There is no national list. States with legal casinos or sports betting run their own, and they differ. New Jersey lets you enroll online for 1 or 5 years from online gaming and sports wagering, with a lifetime option by video or in-person conference. Pennsylvania runs separate lists for casinos, online gambling, video gaming terminals and fantasy contests. Search your state gaming regulator's site for "self-exclusion", or start at NCPG's Help by State.
• Each operator. Licensed gambling apps usually have a responsible gaming section in the account settings. Choose the longest self-exclusion it offers, not a short time-out.
• Germany: the OASIS player exclusion blocks all licensed gambling, online and in venues.

Step 5: Block gambling transactions at your bank

A gambling block on your card declines payments to merchants coded as gambling. It is one of the strongest layers because it works on every device.

• Monzo: turn on the gambling block in the app and choose a cooldown from 2 days to 1 year. You can't lift the block until the cooldown is over.
• Starling: Cards > Gambling controls. Once it is on, switching gambling payments back on takes 48 hours.
• With another UK bank, look in your app's card settings or ask the bank directly.
• US: options vary by bank. Check the card controls in your bank's app, or call the number on the back of your card and ask whether they can block gambling merchants.

Bank blocks depend on how a merchant labels its payments. Monzo itself warns that payments tagged incorrectly can slip through, so keep the other layers in place.

Lock it down and tell someone

Every layer you set yourself, you can also undo yourself. If you choose your own Screen Time passcode and set up passcode recovery, your Apple Account can reset it. Hand the code to someone you trust, and tell them what you are doing. Secrecy keeps gambling going; a second person makes the next urge harder to act on alone.