Blindfold

How to Block Gambling Websites on iPhone and iPad

Deleting a betting app doesn’t take the bets away. The same sportsbook, casino or prediction market is one search away in Safari. This guide covers how to block gambling websites on iPhone and iPad with Apple’s built-in settings, where that runs out, and how to block them across Safari and your other apps.

These steps are the same on iPad. They’re for iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. iOS 27 moved some of these settings into a new Apps & Websites section of Screen Time, so the names on your screen may differ.

Method 1: Block sites one by one with Screen Time

Screen Time can block specific websites in Safari and in apps that show web pages.

  1. Open Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.
  2. Tap App Store, Media, Web & Games, then Web Content.
  3. Choose Limit Adult Websites.
  4. Under Never Allow, tap Add Website and enter each gambling site you want blocked.

Then go to Settings > Screen Time > Lock Screen Time Settings and set a passcode, ideally one someone you trust keeps, so the list can’t be changed in a moment of weakness.

What it misses: you have to know and type every site yourself. Betting companies run many addresses, and new casino and sweepstakes sites appear all the time. Limit Adult Websites is built for adult content, not gambling, so it won’t catch betting sites you didn’t list.

Method 2: Block gambling sites with a blocklist

A blocklist does the listing for you. Blindfold keeps a list of known betting, casino, lottery and prediction market sites and blocks them in Safari and inside your other apps, using Apple’s URL filter feature in iOS 26.

  1. Install Blindfold, open the Protection tab and tap Everywhere.
  2. Turn on Everywhere and choose Gambling, or Both to block ads and trackers at the same time.
  3. Turn on Strict mode if you want sites to wait until Blindfold can check them, instead of loading when a check isn’t possible.

Some services now mix betting with other features. While a gambling choice is on, Blindfold blocks sites like Robinhood, Coinbase, Crypto.com and caesars.com whole, and lists them in the app. If you need one of those accounts, choose Ads and trackers instead.

Blindfold doesn’t see what you browse. Most addresses are checked against a list on your device, and the lookups that need Blindfold’s service use private information retrieval, so the address stays unreadable to us.

The same tab can also block gambling apps from opening. See how to block gambling apps on iPhone and iPad.

Blindfold isn’t a lock. You can turn it off, and a site that just launched may not be on the list yet, so add it with Screen Time too. Blindfold needs iOS 26 or iPadOS 26. It costs $19.99 a year after a 7-day free trial, $1.99 a week after a 3-day trial, or $69.99 once, with Family Sharing included.

Which method should you use?

  • You only need to block one or two sites: Screen Time’s Never Allow list is free and built in.
  • You want betting sites blocked without listing them: use a blocklist like Blindfold, and lock Screen Time with a passcode someone else keeps.
  • You want the strongest setup: do both, and ask your bank to block gambling payments on your cards.

If you need to talk to someone

In the US, you can call or text 1-800-GAMBLER for free, confidential help, any time. Outside the US, search for your country’s gambling helpline. Many states and countries also run self-exclusion programs for licensed betting sites.