How to block gambling sites on iPhone (Safari, Chrome and apps)
If you need to talk to someone tonight: call 1-800-GAMBLER or text 800GAM. Confidential, 24/7, for families too. In a crisis, call or text 988.
If you want gambling sites off your iPhone, you can get a long way with the settings already on it. This guide walks through them, says honestly where they stop, and shows what to do when something still gets through. None of this is a test of willpower. A good setup simply makes the easy path a little harder.
What an iPhone can and can't block
An iPhone can stop Safari from opening sites you name, hide apps above an age rating, and stop new apps being installed. It cannot read your mind or know every gambling address on the internet. New sites appear all the time, so a hand-made list is always a little behind.
Screen Time web limits, step by step
- Open Settings > Screen Time. Choose Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.
- Tap Content Restrictions > Web Content > Limit Adult Websites.
- Under Never Allow, tap Add Website and enter each gambling site you use, such as a sportsbook or casino address.
- Back in Screen Time, choose Use Screen Time Passcode and pick a code you do not know. The next section explains why. Here is how a helper sets it.
DNS-level blocking and what it misses
DNS is the phone book of the internet. A DNS-level blocker looks up an address, and if it is on a gambling list, it answers with nothing. That covers Safari, Chrome and most apps in one step, and a maintained list catches far more sites than you could type in. Its limits are honest ones: it works through the iPhone's network settings, so a person can switch it off if nothing guards that setting, and it only sees what goes through those settings.
Why some apps slip through
A few apps carry their own network settings and skip the phone's DNS. A site block alone will not catch those, which is why apps need their own step.
Adding apps to a shield
In Screen Time, App Limits > Add Limit lets you pick a betting app by name and set a block at the end of a one minute limit. The age limit for Apps under Content Restrictions can hide anything above a rating. See how to block FanDuel and DraftKings for a worked example.
If a site still loads
- Note the exact address in the browser bar and add it to Never Allow.
- Check Safari's Private mode and other browsers; Screen Time web limits apply to Safari, so other browsers need the app blocked or a DNS-level block.
- Look for a second company address, such as a mobile or promo version of the same site.
- Ask someone you trust to hold the Screen Time code so the list cannot be edited at 2am.
A limit worth naming
No blocker covers other people's phones, a computer you have not set up, or betting in person. A block lowers the odds of a bad moment. It does not replace support.
Where Winner's Win fits
Winner's Win adds a maintained list of 340,000+ gambling sites in every browser, with people you trust holding the key.
Winner's Win is an iPhone app that puts people you trust in charge of the key. Your helpers never need the app.
Questions
Can an iPhone block gambling sites on its own?
Partly. Screen Time can limit adult websites and let you add sites by name, and that works in Safari. It only covers the sites you list, so new ones can get through.
Why does a site still load after I blocked it?
Usually it is a different address for the same company, a link opened inside another app, or an app that uses its own network settings. Add the new address, then review which apps are installed.
Will blocking a site delete my account?
No. Blocking only stops your iPhone from reaching it. Your account and balance stay as they are.