Guide · Gambling addiction
How to stop gambling: an honest step-by-step
Stopping gambling is hard — and it's not for lack of willpower. This guide gathers practical steps to block betting, cut off easy access, and find support to beat gambling addiction. No magic promises: each step lowers the chance of relapse a little.
What you'll find here
1. Recognizing the problem is the first step
Pathological gambling is recognized as a disorder — not a character flaw. In Brazil, an estimated 1.4 million people already live with a gambling disorder (UNIFESP/LENAD), and nearly 4 in 10 bettors went into debt after they started (Procon-SP, 2026). If you got here searching for how to stop gambling, you've already taken the most important step: admitting you want to change.
Some signs that betting has become a problem:
- You bet more than you planned, or try to "win back" what you lost.
- You hid from someone how much you bet or how much you lost.
- You borrowed money or fell behind on bills because of betting.
- You feel irritable or anxious when you try to go without betting.
2. Block betting apps and sites
The trigger is in your pocket, available 24 hours a day. Reducing that easy access is one of the most effective measures. Blocking betting doesn't remove 100% of the possibility — but it creates friction: in the seconds when the urge bites, a barrier can be enough for you to step back.
Steps you can take today
- Uninstall betting and casino apps from your phone.
- Close and delete your accounts at the betting operators.
- Remove saved cards and turn off automatic payments.
- Use a blocking app that locks betting sites and apps for the period you choose — ideally one that can't be switched off on impulse.
That's exactly why Sello exists
Sello makes it harder to reach gambling sites and apps on your Android for the period you choose. Early opening is requested in the app and has a 7-day waiting period. It is not tamper-proof: it depends on active permissions and does not replace professional support. A barrier between you and gambling.
See how it works3. Use official self-exclusion
Brazil's Federal Government runs a Self-Exclusion Platform for regulated betting (via the Ministry of Finance, on gov.br). By self-excluding, you block your participation in the country's licensed betting sites — for free and officially. If you live in another country, check whether a national self-exclusion register exists.
It's worth combining both fronts: self-exclude on the official platform for regulated operators and use a blocking app for everything else, including sites outside that list.
Self-Exclusion Platform (gov.br, Brazil): open the official service
4. Find support: you don't have to do this alone
Support groups are one of the most effective paths in recovery. Gamblers Anonymous is a free, anonymous fellowship of people who help each other stop gambling, with in-person and online meetings. Search "Gamblers Anonymous" along with your city or country to find a local group.
Talking to someone who's been through the same thing lifts the weight of shame and isolation — two of the biggest fuels of gambling addiction.
5. Take back financial control
Betting usually leaves a trail of debt, and financial pressure feeds the urge to "win back" by betting more. Breaking that cycle is part of recovery.
- Ask someone you trust to help manage your money for a while.
- List your debts and negotiate terms — consumer-protection and debt-renegotiation services can help.
- Lower your card limits and avoid easy-access credit.
- Track how much you're saving by not betting. Seeing the money that stays with you is a powerful reminder of progress.
6. Seek professional help
Blocks and support groups help, but gambling disorder has a health treatment. Psychologists and psychiatrists work with betting compulsion, often through cognitive behavioral therapy. In Brazil, through the SUS, you can look for a CAPS (Psychosocial Care Center) in your city; elsewhere, a public mental-health service. If there's also anxiety, depression, or thoughts of hurting yourself, seek help as soon as possible.
7. What if I relapse?
A relapse doesn't erase your progress or mean you failed. Recovery is rarely a straight line. What matters is what you do next: reinstate the blocks, go back to the group, talk to the people who support you, and restart the count. Every day without betting still counts.