1. Make the next bet hard to place

Delete every betting and casino app. Close accounts, not just the app. Ask your bank or card issuer for a gambling block (many U.S. banks and card issuers offer one on request). Install blocking software on your phone and computer. None of this stops a determined person, but it puts minutes between an urge and a bet, and urges pass.

2. Self-exclude

Every legal sportsbook and casino has a self-exclusion option, and most states run one. In Arizona you can ban yourself from all casinos and from sports betting for 1, 5 or 10 years, and it cannot be undone early. See our Arizona resources page for how.

3. Hand off the money

For a period of time, let a trusted person hold the cards, see the accounts and pay the bills. Set up a small cash allowance. This feels humbling, and it is one of the most effective things people do early in recovery. It also stops the secret borrowing that makes debt worse.

4. Tell one person the whole truth

Gambling problems live in secrecy. Telling one person the real number, the real frequency and the real damage breaks that. Pick someone who will help rather than punish. If that person does not exist yet, a counselor or a helpline call is the place to start.

5. Learn your triggers

Game days, payday, boredom at night, a fight at home, a big loss you want to win back. Write down the last ten times you gambled and what came right before. The patterns are usually obvious once they are on paper, and each one can be planned for.

6. Replace the time, not just the bet

Gambling filled hours. If nothing fills them, the urge returns. Exercise, work, people, a schedule for evenings and weekends. This sounds simple and is where most self-directed attempts fail.

7. Deal with the debt on purpose

List every debt. Stop taking on new ones. Talk to creditors before accounts go to collections. Do not try to gamble your way out; that is the single most common way a bad situation becomes a catastrophic one. See gambling and debt.

8. Get treatment that matches the problem

If you have tried to stop more than once and could not, the problem is not your character. Gambling disorder is a recognized condition that responds to treatment, especially cognitive behavioral therapy with a counselor who specializes in gambling. Outpatient care works for many people. If you cannot get distance from the environment, residential treatment gives you that distance. Gamblers Anonymous is a good addition to either.

If you slip

A slip is data, not proof that you cannot recover. Look at what came before it, add a barrier, and tell your support person the same day. The people who recover are not the ones who never slip; they are the ones who do not let a slip become a week.

Frequently asked questions