BetBlocker – free, anonymous blocking software.
BetBlocker is the charity that I founded, registered in both the UK and USA. It currently supports 10ks of thousands of active users all around the world.
In 2017 BetBlocker was was conceived and launched.
BetBlocker was initially part of ThePOGG. Functioning as an ADR Official I was seeing a sharp rise in gambling harm related complaints. There were some very traumatic cases coming over my desk and I wanted to be able to better signpost support services for these users.
My first thought was blocking software. Why? Even back then I knew that blocking software wasn’t a magic bullet. It wasn’t going to fix the problem. If someone’s really determined, they’ll find a way around effectively any barrier that you can put in their way. The more severely addicted to gambling someone is, the harder they’ll try to bypass the block.
But what blocking software does do is buy that person a little time. It creates some friction by preventing them from re-accessing immediately. And that’s time in which the person can get some other forms of support. From friends and family. From other organisations.
So I looked around to see what I could find in terms of blocking software to point people too, and I was disappointed to realise that all of the blocking softwares on the market were commercial, and were functioning on a subscription based model. Why is that such a problem? For two fundamental reasons:
i) The people I was dealing with via complaints were at the stage where they’d already lost everything. They weren’t sure how they were going to pay next month’s rent, how they were going to buy their kids’ school uniforms, or put food on the table. Telling them to go and pay for support is asking the for the one thing that they don’t have and exacerbating one of the primary markers of harm;
ii) Pay walls between people experiencing gambling harm and support create a two tier system. Those who are the most in need of the support become second class. They are the least likely to be able to access it.
I was pretty upset at finding this, and shortly after spent a night talking to my good friend John Wright, where I ranted about this at length. Towards the end of the evening, John grew a little frustrated with me and challenged me. He said “if you’re so unhappy about this, why don’t you set-up your own blocking software and give it away for free?”
So that’s what I did.
A couple of years (2019) later the tool had become more of a cost than the business could afford to support, so we broke it off and registered it as a charity in the UK. We then sought and gained the approval of the UK Gambling Commission to be included on their Research, Education and Treatment (RET) list of charities approved to receive donations from UKGC licensees and we’ve run the project as a charity ever since.
What are the USPs of BetBlocker? Why is it better than other blocking software options?
Security
Sadly the gambling sector is full of bad actors who are willing to exploit vulnerability and addiction. If we held a list of contact information for our users, that could be viewed as high value for unscrupulous marketers and would become a security risk. By not holding this information, we eliminate that risk.
Platforms
BetBlocker supports Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux and FireOS. No other blocking softwares support Linux or FireOS and whilst user numbers for these platforms are low, we receive regulator contacts from users thanking us because they cannot find support anywhere else.
Languages
One of the biggest challenges to users to accessing blocking software is being able to understand the set-up instructions. We’ve all been in that place of panic, where your stomach is in knots, your heart’s racing and the blood is thundering in your ears. You are not able to think clearly in this state. And if you have to translate set-up instructions from a language that you don’t speak, or are not confident with, the barrier can prove insurmountable. For this reason BetBlocker sees it as critical to translate the service into as many languages as possible. We currently (as of late 2024) support 14 language and have plans for a dozen more over 2025.
Free
BetBlocker is free to use. You can download it as often as you like on as many devices as you like and you never have to pay for it. This removes a critical barrier to support and ensures that everybody can access the service.
Flexibility
As BetBlocker’s blocks do not need to adhere to a payment renewal cycle, we can be far more flexible in the block periods that we offer. You can block for as little as a day and for years and years if that’s what you want to do.
Fast Set-Up
For many people at a point of crisis, going back and gambling to try and recover some of their losses can be very tempting. When they commit to seeking help, that support has to be accessible quickly. As BetBlocker doesn’t require registration, we can move users straight to setting up their block. In fact, both our Android and iOS platforms can go from download to blocked in less than 2 minutes!!
Scheduler – A New Approach to the Prevention of Gambling Harm
Alongside all of the above listed USPs, BetBlocker is the ONLY blocking software to take a harm minimisation approach to addressing problem gambling.
Traditionally, blocking software has been used as a crisis management tool. The user loses too much, panics, and that’s when they activate a block.
This is treating the symptom rather than the disease. We should be trying to stop gambling escalating to harmful levels before it becomes a problem. And that’s where BetBlocker’s Scheduler comes in.
The Scheduler allows users to plan their block in advance, and only block at the time they feel they need support. So if you want to make sure your bills are paid, block for a week after payday each month. If you want to remove distractions to spend time with your kids, set the block to come on when they get home from school and switch off at their bedtime. Or if you don’t want to sit-up too late playing, set a curfew each night.
The Scheduler tool is intended to support every day players to manage their gambling in a safe and healthy way. To prevent harm before it occurs.
BetBlocker is the single achievement that I’m most proud of in my life. It supports tens of thousands of users every day. It’s really humbling to know that something I’ve created is positively influencing so many lives. And lives that really need the support.