How to Stop Gambling: Practical Steps to Regain Control
Updated: 1 day ago
If you've reached the point where you're searching for ways to stop gambling, you may already know that simply telling yourself this is the last time isn't always enough.
Perhaps you've deleted an app and downloaded it again. You've promised yourself you'll only gamble with a small amount, then chased a loss. Or you've stopped for a while, only to find yourself betting again when you're stressed, bored or convinced that one win could put things right.
As a clinical hypnotherapist, counsellor and psychotherapist with more than 25 years' experience, I've worked with many people who have struggled to change behaviours they genuinely wanted to stop.
With gambling, however, I believe it's particularly important to be clear about something from the outset: if gambling is causing you harm, practical safeguards and appropriate support should come first.
That may mean blocking your access to gambling, restricting payments, telling somebody you trust and getting professional help. In the UK, free support and specialist treatment are available, and I'll give you details later in this article. The NHS specifically recommends measures including GAMSTOP, gambling-blocking software, bank gambling blocks and getting support rather than trying to deal with the problem entirely alone.
I also offer a Stop Gambling Self-Hypnosis MP3 and companion eBook for people who want additional support with changing the habitual thoughts and responses surrounding gambling. I see this as something to use alongside practical safeguards and appropriate professional support where needed, rather than as a replacement for them.
When Does Gambling Become a Problem?
Not everyone who gambles has a gambling problem.
The important question isn't simply how often you gamble. It's what gambling is doing to your life and how much control you feel you have over it.
Warning signs can include:
Spending more money than you intended.
Chasing losses in an attempt to win money back.
Gambling with money needed for bills or other essentials.
Borrowing money or using credit to gamble.
Hiding gambling or spending from your partner or family.
Thinking frequently about your next opportunity to gamble.
Trying repeatedly to cut down or stop but starting again.
Gambling when you're stressed, anxious, lonely or low.
Neglecting work, relationships or other interests because of gambling.
Feeling guilty, distressed or frightened about the consequences.
The NHS uses a series of questions covering many of these behaviours to assess whether somebody may be experiencing gambling-related harm.
You don't need to wait until gambling has caused a crisis before taking it seriously.
Why Can It Be So Difficult to Stop Gambling?
One reason gambling can be difficult to stop is that it isn't only about money.
There can also be excitement, anticipation and escape.
For some people, gambling temporarily provides relief from boredom, stress or difficult feelings. For others, the attraction is the possibility that the next bet might undo previous losses.
And that's where chasing losses can become particularly destructive.
You've lost £50, so another bet starts to feel like a way of getting the £50 back.
If that loses, the temptation may be to gamble more.
The original objective gradually changes. Instead of gambling for enjoyment, you're gambling to repair the consequences of previous gambling.
This is why one of the most important steps towards stopping is accepting that money already lost has gone.
Trying to win it back through further gambling risks increasing the loss rather than solving it.
How to Stop Gambling: Start by Making It Harder to Gamble
If you've decided you want to stop, don't rely entirely on how determined you feel today.
Make gambling more difficult to access while that determination is strong.
This is particularly important with online gambling because a betting account can be available within seconds on a phone.
There are several practical barriers you can put in place.
1. Self-Exclude From Online Gambling
In the UK, GAMSTOP is a free self-exclusion service.
Once registered, it prevents you from using or opening accounts with online gambling companies covered by the scheme. Current exclusion options range from six months to five years, with an auto-renewal option available.
This is much stronger than simply deleting a gambling app.
Deleting an app leaves you free to reinstall it when an urge appears.
Self-exclusion puts a genuine barrier between the urge and the behaviour.
2. Ask Your Bank to Block Gambling Payments
Many banks allow customers to block card payments to gambling businesses.
If your bank provides this facility, use it.
Again, the purpose is to create a barrier.
An urge may be powerful in the moment, but an urge doesn't have unlimited patience. Making it harder to act immediately gives you time to reconsider what you're doing.
The NHS specifically recommends asking your bank to block payments to gambling websites and apps.
3. Use Gambling-Blocking Software
Blocking software can add another layer by preventing access to gambling websites and apps on your devices.
No single measure should be regarded as foolproof. The value comes from putting several barriers together.
GAMSTOP itself recommends combining self-exclusion with measures such as bank blocks and blocking software.
4. Protect Your Essential Money First
If gambling has started affecting your finances, change the order in which your money becomes available.
Pay your mortgage or rent, household bills and other essentials as soon as you're paid.
Set up direct debits or standing orders where appropriate so that important commitments are dealt with before money can be gambled.
This is also specifically recommended by the NHS.
If debt has already become a problem, don't ignore it in the hope that a gambling win will solve it. Seek proper debt advice instead.
5. Tell Somebody What's Happening
Secrecy can make problem gambling much easier to continue.
You don't have to announce what is happening to everybody you know.
Tell one person you trust.
That might be your partner, a family member, a friend, your GP or somebody from a gambling support service.
Saying I'm struggling with gambling and I want to stop can be difficult.
But once somebody else knows, you're no longer trying to maintain one version of your finances or behaviour publicly while dealing with something completely different privately.
Identify What Makes You Want to Gamble
Once you've made gambling harder to access, start looking at the circumstances in which the urge tends to appear.
Ask yourself:
When am I most likely to gamble?
It might be:
After being paid.
When watching sport.
After drinking alcohol.
Late at night.
When you're bored.
After an argument.
When you're worried about money.
When you're lonely.
When you're feeling low.
After seeing gambling advertising.
When you remember previous wins.
Immediately after losing money.
Try to identify your own pattern rather than simply thinking of yourself as somebody who can't stop gambling.
If Saturday afternoon football repeatedly leads to betting, that's useful information.
If drinking makes it harder to stick to your decision, that's useful information.
If financial anxiety triggers thoughts of winning your way out of trouble, that's useful information too.
A trigger isn't an instruction.
Once you recognise it, you can start planning a different response.
What to Do When You Feel the Urge to Gamble
An urge can feel as though it needs to be acted upon immediately.
It doesn't.
Try treating the urge as something that can be allowed to pass without turning it into a bet.
Pause.
Move away from the device.
Go somewhere else.
Contact somebody.
Do something that changes the situation you're in.
And remind yourself why you decided to stop.
It can help to write those reasons down while you're feeling clear-headed.
Perhaps you want to stop worrying about money.
You want to rebuild trust with your partner.
You want to sleep without wondering how much you've lost.
You want to enjoy sport again without every match becoming a financial event.
Or you simply want the mental space currently occupied by gambling back.
Keep those reasons somewhere accessible.
Be Particularly Careful About Chasing Losses
One of the most dangerous thoughts after losing money is:
I just need one decent win and then I'll stop.
It can sound rational because you're imagining yourself returning to where you started.
But another gamble doesn't reverse the previous one.
It's a completely new risk.
If you lose again, the amount you feel compelled to recover becomes larger.
Try changing the question.
Instead of:
How can I win this money back?
Ask:
What can I do today to make sure I don't lose any more?
That's a very different objective.
Replace the Time Gambling Used to Occupy
Stopping a behaviour leaves a gap.
If you normally spend several evenings a week gambling online, simply removing gambling can leave hours of unstructured time.
Plan for that.
The replacement doesn't need to be exciting enough to compete with gambling.
It simply needs to help you establish a different routine.
Exercise.
Watch a film.
Cook.
Go somewhere.
Start something you've neglected.
Spend time with people who don't gamble.
Return to an old interest.
The NHS also recommends spending more time with friends and family who don't gamble.
Over time, everyday activities can begin to occupy the space that gambling had gradually taken over.
What If I Stop Gambling and Then Start Again?
Don't turn one lapse into a reason to abandon everything you've achieved.
Instead, examine what happened.
What triggered it?
Which safeguard failed?
Were you drinking?
Had you left access to money or an account that should have been blocked?
Were you stressed or upset?
Had you started convincing yourself that you could now gamble occasionally without falling back into the old pattern?
Use the lapse as information.
Then strengthen the part of your plan that wasn't strong enough.
If repeated attempts to stop aren't working, that's also information: it's time to bring in more support rather than simply trying harder on your own.
Getting Professional Help for Gambling Problems
You don't have to reach a particular level of severity before asking for help.
The NHS provides specialist gambling treatment services, and in England people can self-refer to specialist gambling clinics. Support is also available through charities and peer-support organisations.
The National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, provides free information, advice and support 24 hours a day on 0808 8020 133.
Your GP can also help you find appropriate support.
If gambling is seriously affecting your mental health or you feel you need urgent mental health help, seek urgent professional support rather than relying on self-help resources.
Can Self-Hypnosis Help You Stop Gambling?
Self-hypnosis shouldn't be presented as a substitute for the practical safeguards and professional help I've discussed above.
Where I believe it can have a useful role is in supporting the habit-change side of the process.
Gambling can become associated with particular thoughts, feelings and situations.
Stress leads to an urge to gamble.
Boredom leads to checking an app.
Watching football triggers thoughts about betting.
A loss creates an urge to chase it.
Self-hypnosis provides a period of calm, focused attention in which you can mentally rehearse responding differently to those familiar situations.
During hypnosis, you remain aware and in control. The aim isn't to somehow remove your ability to gamble. It's to support the decision you've already made and help you practise a different response to familiar triggers.
Stop Gambling Self-Hypnosis MP3 & eBook
I've created my Stop Gambling Self-Hypnosis MP3 & eBook Bundle for people who want additional support while changing their gambling habits.
The hypnosis recording is designed to help you relax, step back from automatic responses and reinforce your reasons for wanting to stop. The companion eBook provides additional information and practical support you can return to between listening sessions.
I would strongly recommend combining the recording with the practical barriers we've already covered — particularly self-exclusion and financial safeguards — if gambling has become difficult to control.
Find out more about my Stop Gambling Self-Hypnosis MP3 & eBook Bundle
This recording is a self-help resource and is not a replacement for professional treatment or gambling support services.
Frequently Asked Questions About Stopping Gambling
How do I stop gambling completely?
Start by reducing your ability to act on an urge. Self-exclusion, gambling-payment blocks and blocking software can all create barriers. Tell somebody you trust, identify the situations that trigger gambling and seek appropriate support rather than relying entirely on willpower.
Why can't I stop gambling even though I'm losing money?
Gambling isn't always driven by a rational expectation of making money. Excitement, escape, habit and the desire to recover previous losses can all contribute to continuing despite negative consequences. If you've repeatedly tried to stop without succeeding, professional gambling support can help.
How do I stop chasing gambling losses?
Start by recognising that another bet doesn't recover the previous loss; it creates another opportunity to lose. Put practical barriers between yourself and further gambling and focus on protecting the money you still have rather than trying to recover what has already gone.
Should I use GAMSTOP?
If you want to prevent yourself from accessing online gambling, GAMSTOP is a free UK self-exclusion service covering gambling websites and apps licensed in Great Britain. Once registered, you cannot simply cancel the exclusion during your chosen minimum period.
Can hypnosis make me stop gambling?
Hypnosis can't physically prevent you from gambling, and I wouldn't suggest relying on it as your only strategy for a serious gambling problem. Self-hypnosis can instead be used as an additional habit-change tool alongside practical safeguards and, where appropriate, professional support.
What should I do if gambling has left me in debt?
Don't try to gamble your way out of debt. Protect essential payments and seek appropriate debt advice. The NHS gambling-help guidance also directs people experiencing debt problems towards specialist debt support.
Taking the First Step
If gambling has started controlling more of your money, time or attention than you want it to, you don't have to solve everything today.
But you can do something today.
Block access.
Protect your money.
Tell somebody.
Ask for help.
Identify your triggers.
Then begin working on the habits and responses that have kept the cycle going.
The most important first step isn't finding a way to guarantee you'll never experience another urge to gamble.
It's making sure that the next urge doesn't have such an easy route to becoming the next bet.
Sharon ShinwellUK Clinical Hypnotherapist, Counsellor, Psychotherapist & Clinical SupervisorMore than 25 years' professional experience
"This article represents the personal views and opinions of the author and should not be taken as representative of the official policy or position of any organization, professional, expert, or individual."
