How to stop gambling ads, texts and emails
A promo text at 6 p.m. on a Sunday is built to catch you at your weakest. You can't make the ads disappear completely, but you can cut most of them off at the source. This page goes platform by platform, then covers the sportsbooks and casinos that still have your number.
The short version
- Google and YouTube: My Ad Center, then the sensitive ad categories, then turn off Gambling.
- Facebook and Instagram: Accounts Center, Ad preferences, Ad topics, then turn off Gambling under special topics.
- Sportsbook texts: reply STOP, then self-exclude. Self-exclusion is what gets you off the marketing lists for good.
- Spam or scam betting texts: forward them to 7726 (SPAM) and report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Email: unsubscribe once, then set a filter that sends anything with betting words straight to trash.
Google, YouTube and Discover
Open My Ad Center
Sign in to your Google account and open My Ad Center. On YouTube you can also tap the three dots on any ad, then My Ad Center.
Find the sensitive categories
Go to Customize ads, then the Sensitive tab.
Turn off Gambling
Tap Gambling and choose to see fewer of these ads. Google says this applies across Search, YouTube and Discover while you're signed in.
Google calls this a best effort. Some gambling ads will still get through, especially on sites that sell their own ad space. That's why the blocker and self-exclusion steps below matter.
Source: Google: Control sensitive ads in My Ad Center
Facebook and Instagram
Open Accounts Center
In Facebook or Instagram settings, open Accounts Center, then Ad preferences.
Go to Ad topics
Tap Ad topics, then See all, and scroll to the special topics.
Turn off Gambling
If your Facebook and Instagram accounts sit in the same Accounts Center, the setting covers both.
Hide what slips through
On any betting ad that still shows up, tap the three dots and hide it. Unfollow betting pages, tipsters and "lock of the day" accounts too. They aren't ads, so the setting won't catch them.
Source: Meta Help Center: Settings you can manage in Accounts Center
Texts from sportsbooks and casinos
- Reply STOP to each marketing text from a sportsbook or casino you've had an account with.
- Then self-exclude in your state. Several state programs make operators stop direct marketing to people on the list. Ohio, Maryland and Illinois all say so on their official pages.
- Self-exclude inside each app too. Here's how for DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and Caesars.
- Expect a lag. Maryland tells people to allow 4 to 6 weeks for mail and email to stop, and Illinois says some mass mailings are planned months ahead. If promos keep coming after that, report it to your state regulator.
Spam and scam betting texts
Texts pushing offshore casinos or "guaranteed" picks usually come from numbers you never gave anyone. Don't reply STOP to those, and never tap the link.
- Forward the text to 7726 (it spells SPAM). The FTC says your carrier uses these reports to block similar messages.
- If it's a scam, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Paste the message text into the report.
- Block the number in your phone's messages app, and turn on filtering for unknown senders.
Source: FTC: How to recognize and report spam text messages
- Unsubscribe from every betting, casino and picks newsletter. Do it once, all in one sitting.
- Make a filter that deletes mail containing words like sportsbook, casino, odds, parlay, bonus bet and free spins. Gmail and Outlook both let you filter by words.
- Ask someone you trust to look over your inbox in a week and catch anything that got past the filter.
Make the rest harder to reach
- Install a blocker like BetBlocker (free) or Gamban so the links in the ads go nowhere.
- Mute game-day betting segments and podcasts that read sportsbook promos. Most of them do.
- Use your phone's own limits on iPhone or Android.
Turning off ads is a small step. Every hook you remove is one less fight on a bad night, and that leaves more energy for the work underneath, like meetings and being honest with the people around you.
Common questions
Can I stop all gambling ads?
No setting blocks every one. Turning off gambling on Google and Meta, self-excluding, and running a blocker together cut most of them out.
Will self-exclusion stop sportsbook emails?
Usually, yes, once operators get your name from the state list. It can take weeks. Ohio, Maryland and Illinois all say people on their lists come off operator marketing.
Is it safe to reply STOP?
To a sportsbook or casino you actually had an account with, yes. To an unknown number pushing offshore betting, don't reply at all. Forward it to 7726 and delete it.
Do I need to do this on every device?
The Google and Meta settings follow your account. Blockers and phone settings need to be set up on each device.