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 locks access to betting and gambling sites and apps for as long as you set — and, once active, the period can't be shortened, not even by reinstalling the app. A lock with no off switch.
Join the waitlist3. 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 (URL to be confirmed)
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.