How to Quit Sports Betting

Online sports betting as we know it today has only been around for less than half a decade, but it has already had a tremendous impact on the sports industry as a whole and how fans interact with it. The convenient nature of placing a bet on a game has had unfortunate repercussions, including people getting addicted to the dopamine rush that comes with it. If this includes you, you are not alone! People all around the world struggle with this new phenomenon, and it can be unclear how to get out of the habit of sports betting if you are not cognizant of your actions.

Here are four concrete steps you can take to quit sports betting for good:

1. Acknowledge

The first step is the hardest and the one that most people do not make it to. Acknowledging the problem can often be the single most significant step in quitting sports gambling. Ask yourself a few questions. Do you place a bet on sports once a day? Once every few days? Do you use money to bet that you could be spending on something that would benefit your life? Do you find yourself betting on random sports you don’t actually care about? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you most likely have a sports betting problem. This can be due to the problem stemming from just “a few harmless bets” that snowballed into a full-blown addiction. Understanding that there is a problem is the only way to truly commit to quitting for good.

2. Delete

Do whatever you can to prevent yourself from being on sports betting apps. Delete them from your phone and computer, put app blocks on them, prevent them from sending you emails — whatever it takes to interact with them as little as possible. Even a small cue can throw you off track and pull you back into a damaging cycle. Simply deleting the app proves to yourself that you care about your own well-being and want to improve, even if you get it back later.

3. Share

Share your experiences with others. Believe it or not, while you may feel isolated in this problem, millions of people around the world struggle with the same or similar issues. Sharing your story with a trusted friend, gambling hotline, or even an anonymous community online can be exactly what you need to stay away from gambling. These people can give you guidance, hold you accountable, and share successes and hardships with you.

4. Grow

Focus on other things! If you have any debts, generate a plan to pay them off based on your current financial situation. Then, find a new hobby, work on something, or even spend a few extra dollars on yourself. Get dopamine from doing things in the real world, not from pressing a few buttons on your phone. If you feel inclined, take a short break from watching or following sports to reduce urges to gamble.

We hope this helps! Remember, YOU are NOT the problem. The issue is the ease of access to place a bet, the millions of dollars that sports betting companies spend on advertising, and how normalized it has become in our society. What you must focus on is finding other things that you can be passionate about.