Does gambling blocking software stop you from reaching every gambling site? No. It stops a device from opening the gambling websites and apps on its block list. It works only on the devices where it is installed, and no block list is complete. Used as one layer, together with self-exclusion and support, it can slow you down. It is not enough on its own.

A typical case shows the limit. A person installs a blocking app on their phone, and the gambling sites stop opening. A week later, the same person opens one of those sites on an old tablet that never had the app. The tool worked as designed on the phone. It never covered the tablet.

If gambling is causing harm now

Blocking software is a technical tool, not support. If gambling harm is already happening, talking to someone helps. Gambling Therapy offers free online support to anyone affected by gambling, wherever they live. National helplines with their countries are listed in the section on support below. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call the emergency number for the country you are in.

This guide gives general information and is not legal or medical advice. It was checked against the pages of the sources listed at the end on 5 October 2026.

How gambling blocking software works

GamCare, a charity that runs the National Gambling Helpline in Great Britain, defines it simply: “Blocking software is a type of computer programme or app that stops you accessing websites or services.” A gambling blocking app does this for gambling. It compares each address you try to open with a block list and refuses the ones that match. Depending on the tool, the list may also include sites that write about gambling.

Great Britain's Gambling Commission describes two kinds of software. Gambling-specific software is designed to block gambling websites. General blocking software blocks a range of websites and can be used to set permissions or parental controls. The Malta Gaming Authority (the MGA) says that blocking software can be downloaded to prohibit access to online gambling.

Gambling Therapy, a service of the charity Gordon Moody, gives the most useful frame. It says: “Blocking software should not be considered a simple solution to a gambling problem – but it can be a useful way to slow you down and give you space to reconsider whether to follow an urge to gamble or to choose a different path.” It adds that “there is no universally effective solution to blocking and filtering”. That page is dated August 2021, so only its framing is used here, not its list of products or prices.

The frame matters because the tool does one job. It adds a delay between an urge and a click. It does not remove the urge, and it does not remove the choice.

Free and paid tools

There are many tools. One free example is BetBlocker, which the MGA names among the organisations that provide support on its safer gambling page (last modified 7 October 2025). It is named here as an example and not as a recommendation. Here is what BetBlocker says about itself:

  • It helps people reduce, restrict or stop their access to gambling websites and apps.
  • It is run by a charity registered in Scotland with the registration number SC049565, and it is free of charge.
  • It works on Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS and Fire OS.
  • You choose how long a restriction lasts, from one day to five years. Once a restriction has begun, it cannot be lifted before the end of the period you selected.
  • It collects no personal information, and the service is used anonymously.
  • It says its block list is updated weekly.

Some tools are paid. GamCare names Gamban, Gamblock and Net Nanny next to BetBlocker and says that some tools are free while others ask for payment. Paying is not a condition for trying a blocking tool, because free tools are available.

One offer applies only in Great Britain. A GamCare page dated 12 April 2021 and last modified on 31 October 2022 says that Gamban is free for anyone who calls the National Gambling Helpline or uses GamCare's support and treatment services, on up to 15 devices. The page is older than the other sources here. Ask GamCare whether the offer still applies before relying on it.

How to set up gambling blocking software, step by step

A tool that is installed on one device protects one device. The steps below are built around that fact.

  1. List every device you use for gambling. Include phones, tablets, computers and any device from work. Software protects only the devices where it is installed.
  2. Download the tool from the website of its provider or from an official app store. Do not use a link from an advert or from a third-party page. Write down the date of the download.
  3. Install it on each device. Give the app the permissions it asks for. The permissions differ by device and by tool, so read each request on the screen.
  4. Choose the length of the restriction deliberately. Some tools, such as BetBlocker, do not allow a restriction to be lifted early. Pick a period you are sure about.
  5. Test it. Open a gambling site you know. It should be blocked. A blocked site shows that the tool works on that device. It does not show that every site is covered.
  6. Add a second layer. Self-exclusion and a bank block cover what the software cannot. The section on layers below explains how they fit together.

Phones and computers also have built-in content filters, sold as parental controls. Apple describes its filter as a way to manage a child's iPhone or iPad: in Settings, a parent chooses Family, then the child's name, then Apps & Websites, then Restrictions and Filtering. Google describes a similar setting in the Family Link app for a child's account: Controls, then Google Chrome and Web, then Approved sites and Blocked sites, then Add a website. Both are designed for a child's device, and the sources do not describe steps for an adult's own device.

What the software blocks and what it does not

A blocked test site proves one thing. It shows that the tool works on that device for that address. The table sets out what that does and does not cover.

What blocking software can doWhat it does not cover
Stop a device opening the gambling websites and apps on its block listAnother phone, tablet or computer where it is not installed, including a new device
Add a delay between an urge and a clickSites that are not on the block list yet. BetBlocker says its own list is updated weekly, so a site added after the last update may be missing
Work together with other tools and supportBetting shops, casinos, telephone bets and lottery tickets bought in a shop
Help a person who wants a long, fixed restrictionPayments. The software does not stop money from leaving an account
Be one layer among severalAdvertising and email from companies where you already have an account

Gambling Therapy's view is that no tool is universally effective. A determined person can get around any blocking tool, which is one more reason to rely on more than one layer. This guide does not describe ways to get around a block, and it does not need to. The point is the opposite: choose layers that do not depend on one device.

Using it together with self-exclusion and a bank block

Think of three layers. The first is the device, where blocking software works. The second is the account or the register, where self-exclusion works. The third is the payment, where a bank block works. Each layer reaches what the others do not.

Self-exclusion comes in two forms. A national self-exclusion scheme covers the licence holders of that country, and operator-level self-exclusion blocks one company. Both sit outside your device. National self-exclusion schemes by country are collected in one place. In Great Britain, the scheme is Gamstop. Gamstop says that many people who use Gamstop Online also install gambling blocking software on their devices or receive advice and support from specialist organisations. How Gamstop works in Great Britain is explained separately.

A national register reaches only operators licensed in that country. A person who plays at a site licensed elsewhere may find that the register never applied. In that case, self-exclusion with the operator and software on the device are what remain. Ask which licensing authority and jurisdiction cover a site before you rely on any register.

The Gambling Commission reached a similar view in a response dated 23 December 2020. It agreed with the respondents who highlighted the particular value of blocking software for people who also use other forms of support, and it did not add a new requirement for gambling companies. The Commission saw value in blocking software next to other help.

The payment layer comes from the bank. Great Britain's Gambling Commission says that many banks allow you to block gambling payments from your account, and GamCare says that most bank and building society accounts in the UK now offer this. The sources used for this guide do not cover other countries. Ask your bank or card provider whether it offers a gambling block. For a milder step, deposit limits and time-outs are set with the operator and do not need a full block.

Where to get support

A tool slows you down. People can support you in ways a tool cannot. Free and confidential support is available.

Gambling Therapy provides free online support to anyone affected by gambling, wherever they live. It has no telephone line, so use its website. National helplines include the following:

For other countries, see gambling helplines by country and the national schemes collected on the self-exclusion hub. More on tools and rules is on SlothBet's responsible gambling page. Gambling is for adults only: 18 or over, or older where local law sets a higher minimum age. That limit applies to gambling, not to asking for help.

Frequently asked questions

Is there free gambling blocking software?

Yes. BetBlocker says it is provided free of charge and that it is run by a registered charity. GamCare also says that some blocking tools are free while others ask for payment. Free tools are available, so paying is not required to try one.

Can a block be removed before the chosen period ends?

With BetBlocker, no. It says that once a restriction has begun, it cannot be lifted before the end of the selected period. Check this rule in any tool before you choose the length, and pick a period you are sure about.

Does blocking software replace self-exclusion?

No. The two work at different levels. Software works on the device, and self-exclusion works with the operator or in a national register. The Gambling Commission noted the particular value of blocking software for people who also use other forms of support.

Does blocking software stop gambling payments?

No. It stops a device opening a site or app, not money leaving an account. In Great Britain, banks can block gambling payments, according to the Gambling Commission. Elsewhere, ask your bank or card provider whether it offers a gambling block.

Can you set up blocking software for someone else?

Only with the agreement of the adult concerned, since the tool then limits what that person can open. For a child, parental controls such as Apple's Screen Time settings or Google's Family Link are designed for this. Do not install anything in secret.

What can you do if a gambling site still opens after the block is on?

No block list is complete. Report the address to the provider of the tool so that it can be considered for the list. Then add another layer, such as self-exclusion with that operator, and talk to someone about how you are feeling.

Sources

All pages were accessed on 5 October 2026.