Guide
How to block
gambling ads.
You've decided to stop, and then an offer lands in your inbox, or a free bet appears before a video. It's not a coincidence: gambling marketing is built to reach people at the moment they're most likely to bet. Here's how to turn most of it down, starting with the free ways.
If it's pulling hard right now: UK 0808 8020 133 · US 1-800-522-4700 · Australia 1800 858 858 · South Africa 0800 006 008 · other countries. Free, confidential, 24/7.
Start here: self-exclude
Licensed operators generally have to stop marketing to people who've self-excluded. In the UK, GAMSTOP covers online operators. In Australia, BetStop does the same. Elsewhere, see your options. It won't stop every ad, but it should stop a lot of the direct offers.
Close your accounts properly
An open account, even a dormant one, can keep the emails coming. Closing it and asking them to stop all marketing is the strongest step. Where to send it, operator by operator.
Google and YouTube
Google lets you see fewer ads about certain sensitive topics, gambling included. Go to My Ad Center while signed in, find the sensitive topics section, and choose to see fewer gambling ads. It applies across Google, including YouTube, when you're signed in.
Emails
- Unsubscribe from each one, and then filter anything left straight to the bin: create a rule for the operators' names and words like "free bet" and "bonus".
- Ask them to stop. In the UK and EU you have a legal right to object to direct marketing, and a business has to stop when you ask. The ICO explains how.
Texts and calls
- Reply STOP where the text offers it, or use your phone's report-junk option.
- UK: register with the free Telephone Preference Service to cut unwanted sales calls.
- US: add your number to the National Do Not Call Registry.
Post
- UK: the free Mailing Preference Service reduces addressed junk mail.
- US: DMAchoice lets you opt out of many mailing lists.
Social media
When a gambling ad appears, use the menu on the ad to hide it or say it's not relevant. It takes a while, but it teaches the feed. Unfollowing tipsters, betting pages and accounts that post odds helps more than you'd expect.
What still gets through
Sponsorship on shirts and stadiums, TV adverts and ads inside other apps are harder to avoid. That's when an urge can catch you off guard. How to ride out a gambling urge.
Our app, You vs The House, quietens many ad networks on your iPhone and lets you report gambling ads that get through, so we can name the trick and block the advertiser for everyone. How House Tricks works.
Sources and further help
- Google: My Ad Center
- Information Commissioner's Office (UK)
- Telephone Preference Service (UK)
- Mailing Preference Service (UK)
- National Do Not Call Registry (US)
- DMAchoice (US)
Updated 24 October 2026. Checked against the sources above. How we write these guides. You vs The House is a support tool, not medical advice. If you're struggling, a helpline or your doctor can help.