Technology is increasingly responsible for helping create an online environment which facilitates harm from gambling. But the internet and proliferation of mobile devices which enable the 24/7 “casino in your pocket” can also be used more helpfully by offering technological aides to helping stop or control gambling, and many can also be useful resources in creating and following a recovery pathway.
This section of our website looks at how technology in the form of Tools, Apps and Self-Directed support can be used to create a layered approach to reducing and recovering from harmful gambling.
Why we sometimes need a back-up system
But before we start explaining the Four Layered Approach we should touch upon why it is a good idea, and why simply expecting will power to prevent gambling or relapse is a risky approach.
Gambling is a risk based activity, and like all activities which create or involve risk, or indeed invoke emotions of any sort, there is a chemical response in the person’s brain to engaging in that activity. It creates a linked association between the activity – gambling – and the brain’s own reward system. The longer the association is allowed to develop, the more fixed that linkage becomes. In effect gambling becomes a learned activity used as a response to situations, including to stress, disappointment, despair, and even the need for love or comfort. Your own brain associates the release of certain chemical based signals with the activity, and when it detects a shortfall, or senses you are feeling stressed, it actively tries to suggest you engage in those activities which have been shown to release the chemicals needed to alter your mood state.
Gambling can then become an unhelpful “default” response to feeling stressed or unhappy, even if it is gambling itself which has led you to feel unhappy. Once the association is “learned” it can take some time to “unlearn” it. Which means that even people who have made a firm decision to try to stop or cut down on gambling can still find that when something happens in their life which makes them feel stressed or in need of consoling then their own internal voice is the first to suggest… “Hey, I know what will cheer you up, Gambling. That used to make you feel better about things.”
Even when a person has had enough of the chaos gambling causes in their life and is adamant that they won’t return to gambling it can be a very persuasive and persistent voice in their ears. Especially early on in their attempts to stop while the “linked association” is still extremely strong.
The good news is that over time that voice can be made to go away, or at worst transformed from a deafening shout to an almost indiscernible whisper.
So, how can technology help reduce the loudness of this voice?
Well, the main power of technology is in creating friction between the spur of the moment ideation to gamble, and the practicalities of doing so.
Imagine it a bit like being on a diet but suddenly getting a hunger craving for doughnuts.
If you know your cupboards are stocked full of doughnuts and all you need to do is open the nearest door and take one then there is no significant friction between thought and the practicalities of being able to act on that thought. However, if you know you don’t have any doughnuts in the house and the nearest place which sells them is half an hour away then it is far less likely that you will go to all the trouble of getting dressed for outdoors, putting on shoes, locking the house, and driving or walking all the way to that shop just to buy a doughnut… which deep down you know you don’t really want and will only regret having eaten later on.
The effort involved – the hassle of having to go out in this example – is one part of the “friction”, but another important part is the time delay between planning and acting. Because the doughnuts are not simply an arm stretch away it means as well as having to expend effort you are also forced to delay gratifying of your urge to eat. In this instance a time delay can be a very good thing, as it also allows you time for your better senses to kick back in, saying, “Hey, remember, the reason why we don’t have any doughnuts in the house is because we are trying to lose weight, not pile it on”.
So time and effort and work together in acting to generate create friction between feeling an urge or ideation, and acting upon it. The steps which we are about to explain with regards to gambling can be bypassed, beaten if you wish, but if layered together they should make the effort required in doing so appear unappealing to the individual. Hopefully so unappealing that they decide it is too much hassle to bother trying. The very fact that you are interrupting the previously instant pathway from feeling ideation to acting helps to reduce the sway that the ideation hold over you. It becomes easier to dismiss that invasive thought as being impracticable, and the more often that happens the less likely it becomes that the internal voice will keep suggesting the unwanted action in the first place. In effect, it is like the “bad advice” or “addicted” side of the brain thinking, “Well, I know what would work, but nobody ever listens to me anymore, so why am I even bothering to suggest it.”
Admittedly, gambling is not eating doughnuts, but the idea of ease of access making it more likely you will indulge still stands true. Even truer for gambling, as while most people won’t have cupboards brimming with doughnuts just waiting to be eaten they will have 24/7 access to gambling due to the ever present availability of smartphones and internet connected devices, each capable of granting instant access to gambling websites and apps.
But what if we didn’t have that instant access?
What if gambling wasn’t just a thumb swipe away?
Well, that’s where the Four Layered Approach comes in.
A Four Layered Approach
The basic premise of the 4 Layer Model Approach is that technology can be used to create friction between any attempts or ideation towards gambling and the normal ease of being able to carry it out which online and mobile gambling now allows.
Simply knowing there are barriers to gambling can help reduce the sway it has over you.
A simple model can be applied which seeks to use current technology in ways which maximise the likelihood of successfully controlling or stopping gambling.
The main thrust is using the same technology which makes gambling so easy to carry out, wherever and whenever you are, and use it to put barriers in the way of being able to gamble.
The biggest growing source of harmful gambling is via online sites – casinos, sports betting, bingo and even instant win lottery products. One of the reasons why these are particularly harmful, and particularly hard to control, is the speed of transition between first thinking about engaging in gambling and actually being on a website or App placing a bet. It literally can be seconds between the thought popping into your mind, and the money leaving your bank or gambling account.
This plays to impulsivity, and indirectly to spending more gambling than would be the case if using a traditional land based gambling product – such as a high street bookmakers or physical casino.
Luckily the same technology which enables instant gambling can also block online gambling, thus creating time to reassess and reconsider your actions.
Remember, the aim of the technology is not to stop you from being able to gamble at any cost if you are solely focused on doing so – no technology can do that – but rather to make it more effort and time than you are willing to expend on achieving gambling.
This is why technology is an ideal support system for someone actively wishing to stop gambling, but not so great for someone who actively doesn’t want to stop.
Step 1 – Self-Exclusion
The first technology layer comes from using available self-exclusion registers which gambling operators are required to offer. By registering yourself with these gambling operators are obligated not to let you gamble with them.
- Even if you think you have the willpower not to try to gamble we recommend registering on any exclusion services which align with your previous methods of gambling.
One slight downside is that each product format has its own separate register, e.g. GamStop for online betting, Moses for land based betting shops, etc.
But as we are talking here about using technology to help control gambling then our focus is very much on self-excluding from Licensed on-line and remote gambling products – and the good news is that there is a very good self-exclusion service called GamStop which is easy to use and is very effective.
Signing up to block yourself from gambling online via GamStop is very easy. Simply navigate to https://www.gamstop.co.uk/ – and follow the sign up instructions.
You will have to give very basic identity details – name, age, address, so that GamStop can inform the operators not to accept business (i.e. bets) from you, but this is secure, your personal data is protected other than for this purpose, and it is relatively painless. GamStop offer the option to self-exclude for a time period of your own choosing – which can be from as short as 6 months up to 5 years. They also now offer the option of rolling that 5 years into another 5 years.
Perhaps the greatest testimony to the usefulness of GamStop is that over 500,000 current registrants are already signed up, preventing themselves accessing online gambling accounts.
It is possibly also reassuring (in an alarming sort of way) to know that half a million other people have been where you are now – seeking to put barriers in the way of them being able to gamble.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
Useful tip:
Even better, by Registering with GamStop you should also be stopping yourself from receiving regular targeted marketing by gambling operators, which can create a welcome relief from triggering Ads.
As mentioned, there are other self-exclusion registers for non-online gambling. The GamStop website also offers information and contact details for these.
Step 2 – Blocking Software
The second technology layer involves using freely accessible apps which prevent you from accessing gambling websites.
When installed on your internet capable devices (e.g. laptop, phone, tablets) these apps act to prevent your device connecting to gambling websites – both licensed and known illegal (black market) sites. They also act to block gambling Apps installed on your devices from being able to reach those sites too, meaning they stop being usable.
You might question why bother installing Apps to do this if you have already signed up to GamStop.
Well, there is a very good answer to that.
GamStop only acts to prevent legally licensed operators from doing business with you – i.e. taking your bets – it sadly cannot offer that same protection against unlicensed operators – i.e. Illegal Black Market gambling sites. The growth of illegal online gambling sites is testimony to how much money can be made from taking advantage of harmful gambling. But that is where decent Blockers can step in. They are able to maintain registers of both legal and illegal sites, and to block access to both types.
The two most common Blocking apps are:
Both can be downloaded from popular App stores, or from their own websites, but for Gamban we recommend using the download link on the TalkBanStop page at GamCare (https://www.gamcare.org.uk/talk/) as this will allow you to download it for free (it is normally a paid for service).
BetBlocker can be downloaded from https://betblocker.org/ and is free to download and use.
Both Apps have multi-language support and are increasingly adding extra features to support recovery.
Please note: because these Apps are designed to stop you doing something you might sometimes feel the urge to do – gambling – they are deliberately designed to be hard to switch off or remove. This can also sometimes lead to App stores warning about non-compliant features as most Apps stores respect the wish of customers to be able to easily unload Apps. If you do decide you wish to remove these Apps then contact the providers directly.
As well as the above installable blocking Apps most UK banks now offer customers apps for use with online banking, and an increasingly common feature of these is a useful ability to set spending limits on gambling products, or to block any spend with merchant codes linked to gambling firms.
The functionality available on each App will vary from bank to bank, but most will allow gambling spending limits to be set, or for all gambling transactions to be barred.
Most also have a “time-out” period – another form of “friction” – meaning that once set you need to wait a stipulated time before being able to unset them or vary the spending limits. Usually this is 24 hours but can be longer.
Please Note: There is a slight downside with these in that they usually do not offer the option of differentiating between National Lottery and other gambling products, so if you try to buy lottery tickets online then they will probably treat this as gambling and apply the rules you set to those transactions also. And, nor will these controls stop you buying Lottery products from a retailer – such as Tesco – as the merchant code will be for groceries rather than gambling.
Step 3 – Understand (Self-Directed Learning)
The third technology layer involves self-education and accessing self-directed support.
Understanding what harmful gambling and addiction actually are is a vital but often overlooked element to recovery.
Many people simply assume that stopping gambling is a matter of willpower, and fail to appreciate how gambling impacts the brain and creates learned and ingrained behaviours.
Others can find the idea of opening up to a third party – a clinician or treatment service – a daunting and discouraging prospect. Or it may be that they are naturally cautious/curious and feel the need to have some understanding of a subject before consulting any experts. That way they feel more able to understand the practices and benefits of professional support, and better able to ask informed questions.
Plus of course, it may not be the person gambling who seeks to know more. A partner or family member may want to know more about harmful gambling in order to be able to offer encouragement and support to a loved one who they feel is gambling in a harmful manner.
For these reasons, and probably many others, it is not uncommon for people to discover a need to read and understand more about gambling, the harms it can cause, and the support options available.
Luckily, there are many websites which give useful guides to understanding harmful gambling. Some even offer self-directed programmes to support individual recovery.
GambleAware have a useful page of self-help tools (including how to limit online gambling Ads), plus signposting to other support. (https://www.gambleaware.org/tools-and-support/)
GamCare have an Understanding Your Gambling section, and also have a Self-Help portal based around a Recovery Toolkit (https://www.gamcare.org.uk/self-help/)
Gambler’s Anonymous also has various downloadable literature on their website (https://gamblersanonymous.org.uk/files/general-literature/)
Step 4 – Support (online)
The final layer comes in the form of technology led and accessible support.
This can be as simple as online support forums where people can access peer support and share experiences and tips.
Or it can involve downloading Apps which help you understand your gambling behaviours, set spend limits and budgeting, or Recovery Apps which give affirmative messaging, prompt you into making healthier life choices, give access to AI driven support chatbots, or help plan alternative activities which can replace gambling.
These are really a matter of personal choice – it is up to each individual to find the level and type of tech enabled support they feel is helpful for them. But in order to discover that they may well wish to try out a range of the services and Apps which are available.
Some of the more common Recovery Apps are shown in this infographic.
GLEN do not recommend, or pass comment on the effectiveness of these, but each can be easily found by searching online.
There are an increasing number of online peer support communities run by organisations with an understanding of Peer led support, many of which are dedicated Lived Experience Recovery Organisations (LEROs).
In particular, we would like to mention:
Betknowmore, EPIC Restart Foundation, Reframe Recovery Coaching, and Thrivin’ Together.
But as we say, many others are springing up, and even Gamblers Anonymous who are perhaps more commonly associated with in-person meeting rooms do offer online meetings.
To find out what support is available, both in terms of Treatment and other forms, including Aftercare and online Peer Communities, we would suggest checking out our Where to find Help page.
Even if our listing for a particular organisation doesn’t mention the sort of service or support you are looking for then we still suggest checking each link out to see if they have now added what you are looking for.
In Conclusion
If the source of someone’s harmful (or unwanted) gambling is technology led – such as online gambling – then we would absolutely recommend applying Steps 1 (Self-Exclusion) and 2 (Blocking) to create necessary “friction” to make acting on gambling urges harder to achieve – and would recommend Steps 3 (Self-directed Learning) and 4 (Support) as being useful for aiding Recovery and understanding what may or may not be beneficial to both those seeking to control their own gambling and also seeking to support others to do so.
The great news is that there is support – and technology which can help – out there.