If you are trying to reduce or stop gambling, seeing gambling adverts online can make things more difficult. Betting promotions can appear while you are browsing websites, watching videos, using social media or checking your email. You may also see gambling-related posts and recommendations even when they are not paid-for adverts.
You may not be able to remove every gambling advert, but there are practical steps you can take to significantly reduce how often you see them.
Change your advertising preferences
Many of the largest online platforms allow you to reduce advertising about sensitive subjects such as gambling.
If you have a Google account, My Ad Center allows you to choose to see fewer adverts relating to gambling across services such as Google and YouTube.
Social media platforms also provide controls. Facebook and Instagram users can adjust their advertising preferences through the Meta Accounts Center, while Reddit and Snapchat provide settings that can be used to limit gambling-related advertising.
These settings may change over time, so look within your account’s Privacy, Advertising, Ad Preferences or Sensitive Topics settings if you cannot immediately find the relevant option.
Change what appears in your social media feeds
Advertising is only part of the picture. Gambling content can also appear because you follow gambling-related accounts, interact with particular posts or because a platform thinks you are interested in gambling.
Consider unfollowing or muting gambling companies, tipsters, casinos, bookmakers and gambling-related influencers. You can also hide individual adverts and posts when they appear.
Some platforms allow you to mute particular words and phrases. Adding terms associated with betting, casinos or other forms of gambling can provide another useful layer of protection.
Over time, avoiding interaction with gambling content can also help change the recommendations you receive.
Stop gambling emails and messages
Unsubscribe from gambling marketing emails rather than simply deleting them. You can also change the marketing preferences within gambling accounts you still have access to.
UK-licensed online gambling businesses are required to give customers control over the types of direct marketing they receive.
For marketing texts, follow the opt-out instructions provided in the message. If unwanted gambling marketing continues after you have withdrawn your consent, you can report it to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Use blocking tools
You can go further by installing software designed to block access to gambling websites. Services such as Gamban and BetBlocker can provide an additional barrier, and both are available free to UK residents. General ad-blocking software can also reduce the number of adverts you encounter while browsing.
If you want to stop gambling online, you can also register with GAMSTOP Online, the UK’s free self-exclusion service. This prevents you from using gambling websites and apps licensed in Great Britain.
It is important to remember that self-exclusion does not necessarily stop every gambling advert from appearing online. Combining self-exclusion with advertising controls, blocking software, unsubscribing from marketing and changing your social media settings can create a much stronger barrier between you and gambling.
Give yourself fewer reminders to gamble
You don’t have to rely on willpower alone. Reducing the number of gambling adverts, messages and posts you encounter can make your online environment easier to manage.
Start with whichever steps feel manageable and add more layers of protection if you need them. Even small changes to what appears on your phone, computer and social media feeds can help reduce unwanted reminders and opportunities to gamble.