Table of Contents
If you want to know how to stop betting on sports, make betting harder to access before the next match, race, or If you want to quit sports betting, start by putting distance between yourself and the next wager. Delete sportsbook apps, restrict or close accounts, block access where possible and make it harder to move money into a betting account.
Sports betting can become closely connected with game days, odds alerts, sports content, conversations with friends and the habit of checking lines throughout a game. Changing those routines can be just as important as deciding not to place another bet.
Make your sportsbook accounts harder to access
Remove betting apps and saved passwords from your phone.
Depending on the sportsbooks and state you use them in, you may also be able to close accounts or use available self-exclusion controls.
Other practical steps include:
- using website and app blocking software
- removing saved payment methods
- asking your bank or card provider whether gambling transaction controls are available
- using available gambling self-exclusion tools
- asking someone you trust to help you reduce access to gambling funds where appropriate
The aim is to create more steps between wanting to bet and being able to place the wager.
Disconnect sports from betting
NFL Sundays, March Madness, college football, NBA games, baseball and other major sporting events can create repeated opportunities to bet.
Look beyond the wager itself.
Do you check the spread as soon as you wake up? Follow sportsbook accounts? Listen to content built around picks? Spend games watching a live-betting screen instead of the action? Discuss parlays with friends throughout the day?
Those behaviors can keep betting at the center of the sporting experience.
Mute odds accounts, stop following tipsters, turn off sportsbook alerts and step away from betting-focused chats where necessary.
Identify your own betting triggers
Triggers are not the same for everyone.
You may notice that you are more likely to place a bet when:
- a big game is approaching
- your friends are betting
- you are bored between games
- you have been drinking
- you have just been paid
- you are trying to recover a previous loss
- you have recently won
- live odds are constantly available on screen
Once you can see the pattern, you can plan around it.
Have a game-day plan
Decide how you are going to watch a game before it starts.
You might watch with someone who knows you are trying to stop, keep your phone out of reach, block sportsbook sites before kickoff or avoid a particular sports bar if betting there has become automatic.
Think about halftime and the period immediately after the game too. If those are times when you normally open an app, plan something else in advance.
Put financial barriers in place
Fast deposits can turn a short-lived urge into a bet within seconds.
Remove stored cards and other payment methods from sportsbook accounts. Ask financial providers whether relevant gambling controls are available.
If money intended for rent, bills or other commitments has been going into sports betting, separate those funds as early as possible.
Do not try to repair previous losses by making another wager.
Replace the betting routine, not just the time
Think about what sports betting has been adding to your routine.
If it is analysis, follow statistics without using them to build bets. If it is social, spend time with people who are not focused on gambling. If betting has become closely linked to the excitement of watching a game, you may need to change how you watch sports for a while.
A useful replacement should address the part of the habit that keeps bringing you back.
If you start betting again
Look at the route back into betting rather than assuming the same plan will work next time.
What was still accessible? Which game or situation was involved? Have you started checking odds again? Was money immediately available?
Use those answers to strengthen the barriers.
When you need more structured help
If you have tried to quit sports betting repeatedly and continue to return to it, specialist treatment is one option you may consider.
Retreat by Gordon Moody provides specialist gambling treatment for international clients who are able to travel to the UK for the residential stages of its private program.
The full program can run for up to 18 weeks and combines virtual support with two one-week residential stays in the UK. Treatment approaches include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, trauma-informed care, group therapy and individual therapy.
The program focuses specifically on gambling harm rather than general addiction treatment.
You can speak with our admissions team if you want to understand how the program works.
Free gambling support in the US
The National Council on Problem Gambling operates the National Problem Gambling Helpline, which connects people with gambling support across the US.
Call or text 1-800-MY-RESET for support. The service is available 24/7.
FAQs About How to Stop Betting on Sports
How do I stop betting on sports?
If you want to know how to stop betting on sports, reduce access first. Delete sportsbook apps, restrict accounts, use blocking or self-exclusion tools where available and make it harder to fund a bet. Then identify the games, situations and routines that usually lead you back to betting.
How do I stop live betting during games?
Block sportsbook access before the game starts, turn off odds notifications and decide where your phone will be while you watch. If halftime or commercial breaks usually trigger bets, plan what you will do during those periods in advance.
Do I have to stop watching sports?
Not always. You may, however, need a temporary break from specific teams, games, sports media or social situations if they consistently lead to betting.
What if I keep going back to sportsbook apps?
Look at how you regained access. If an account remained open, blocking software was easy to bypass or funds were immediately available, strengthen those barriers and consider additional support.
