How to Block Gambling Sites on iPhone (2026 Guide)
The fastest way to block gambling sites on iPhone is Apple's built-in Screen Time system — either set up manually yourself through Settings, or automatically through an app like Recovo, which pre-configures Screen Time to block 60+ known gambling and sportsbook sites and apps in about a minute. Both methods work at the operating-system level, so the block holds across Safari, Chrome, and any other browser you install — not just inside one app.
This guide walks through both: the manual setup, so you understand exactly what's happening under the hood, and the automatic option, for when you'd rather not build and maintain the list yourself.
Why blocking works better than willpower alone
Gambling apps and sportsbooks are built to be one tap away, always. In the moment an urge hits, the decision to open the app happens faster than the decision to stop yourself. Blocking doesn't rely on willpower in that moment — it removes the option before the urge has a chance to win. That's the whole idea: put friction between you and the bet, at the system level, so staying clean doesn't depend on how strong you feel at 2AM.
Method 1: Block gambling sites manually with Screen Time
Apple's Screen Time has everything you need to block gambling websites yourself, at no cost. It takes about ten minutes to set up properly.
- Open Settings → Screen Time and turn it on if you haven't already.
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on. Set a Screen Time passcode — one that's different from your device passcode, and ideally one you don't hold yourself (more on that below).
- Tap Content Restrictions → Web Content.
- Choose "Limit Adult Websites." This turns on Apple's built-in filtering and unlocks a custom list.
- Under "Never Allow," add every gambling and sportsbook domain you want blocked — DraftKings.com, FanDuel.com, BetMGM.com, Caesars.com, and any others you use. Safari will refuse to load anything on this list.
The catch: this only blocks web addresses in Safari. Gambling apps themselves (the DraftKings app, FanDuel app, and so on) need to be restricted separately — go to Screen Time → Content Restrictions → Allowed Apps, or delete the apps outright. You're also responsible for keeping the domain list current yourself, and typing each one in by hand makes it easy to miss one.
Method 2: Automatic blocking with Recovo
Recovo uses the same underlying Apple Screen Time (Family Controls) technology as the manual method above, but it comes pre-loaded with a maintained list of 60+ gambling sites and sportsbook apps, so there's no list to build. Turn it on once, and Safari, other browsers, and every app on the list get blocked across the whole device immediately.
What comes with it beyond the block itself:
- A streak counter that tracks every day you stay bet-free, so there's something concrete to protect.
- An accountability partner unlock code — turning the block off requires a code sent by SMS to someone you trust, so you can't quietly disable it yourself in the middle of an urge, which is exactly the moment a self-held Screen Time passcode gets switched off.
- A private journal for working through triggers, backed up to your account and never sold or shared.
Which method should you use?
If you want full manual control over exactly what's blocked, don't mind maintaining the list yourself, and trust yourself to hold the Screen Time passcode, plain Screen Time works fine on its own.
If you'd rather it be handled automatically, want the block to survive a bad night without you being the one who can turn it off, and want your streak tracked in one place, Recovo does the same underlying job with a person built into the loop.
Common questions
Can you get around a Screen Time block?
If you hold your own Screen Time passcode, yes — you can always turn restrictions off. That's why the passcode (or unlock code, in Recovo's case) matters more than the block itself. Have a partner, family member, or friend hold it instead of you.
Does this cover apps like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM — not just websites?
Yes, as long as you restrict the apps directly under Content Restrictions (manual method) or use Recovo, whose blocklist already covers the major sportsbook and casino apps alongside their websites.
Is the block permanent?
No — it's reversible with the passcode or unlock code. That's by design. The goal isn't to make gambling technically impossible forever; it's to make it slow enough, and visible enough to someone else, that the urge passes before you act on it.