How to block phone access to gambling websites?

dllive

Hi all,
I hope this is the right forum to post this in. (Please move if not.)

I have a family member who is addicted to gambling. She knows she has a problem and wants to proactively combat it. She doesnt have a computer but can obviously use the internet on her phone.

We've discussed getting her a 'dumb' phone, but she loves her music and her phone doubles up as her music player.

We've tried paid-for apps that block gambling websites, but they dont work and recently she was able to get onto a gambling site and lose a load more money. :mad:

Is there a way we can disable her wifi/internet? Basically, she wants the phone and music player capabilities - and send/recieve emails - but NOTHING else.

Thanks for any advice/suggestions. This is a terrible situation and not sure where to turn.

Annisele

Has she tried Gamstop? It's by no means perfect, but (if she's not already using it) it might help a little.

dllive

Annisele wrote: »

Has she tried Gamstop? It's by no means perfect, but (if she's not already using it) it might help a little.

Thanks. Yes, she's tried that (and all the others) but it only works on a few gambling sites. She has an iphone 6. I suppose my question is more of an IT question: How to disable access to ALL websites but still receive email. Although email isnt essential. The essential thing is that all the phone's other functionality (music and calling) work but nothing else.

zesh90x

Monzo bank allow you to block deposits to gambling sites, is that an option?

That way if she switches to Monzo banking she won't be able to deposit into betting sites?

zesh90x

The alternative would be to email the "bookie" being used and get them to apply "gambling controls" or request account closure which they legally have to honour.

A closure can however often mean that getting it back may be impossible.

dllive

Thanks guys.

The problem is that it needs to be foolproof/watertight. I wonder if parental controls on the iPhone is the way to go. We've discovered - through bitter experience - that these apps that prevent access to gambling sites are fairly worthless as they dont block ALL gambling sites.

Im hopping mad that - despite notifying her bank of her addition - they still let her spend a considerable amount of money. So now she's thousands into her overdraft!!!

wildheart83

My elderly father kept connecting to the internet on his phone without realising and we only noticed when they bills were quite a bit higher than they should have been.
We disabled mobile data on the phone but there's nothing to stop her going in herself and enabling it again.

Have you tried speaking to her network provider to see if they can put a block on it at their end? You could then password protect the account so she can't just phone up and activate it again?

A basic phone, and cheap MP3 player might be the answer. I'm sure you can pick up an ipod on ebay/gumtree pretty cheaply.

baldelectrician

Why don't you get a stand alone music player or one of those speaker things and a dumb phone?

MEM62

dllive wrote: »

We've discussed getting her a 'dumb' phone, but she loves her music and her phone doubles up as her music player.

If she is serious about addressing her problem and self-excluding from gambling the fact that she 'loves music' is a poor excuse for keeping an internet-enabled phone. What is more important, listening to music or dealing with her gambling addiction?

Nothing stopping her buying a dumb handset for phone calls and an iPod for music. Job done!

Clouds88

My husband is/was a gambling addict and when he couldn’t do it on his phone he went to the bookies. I’m afraid no matter what you do if she still wants to gamble she will.

The answer is she NEEDS to want it, to have hit her rock bottom and wanting to change. My husband still attends GA weekly and he hasn’t bet in 3 months. Some members of GA haven’t bet in 10 years and still attend the meetings.

betterdaysahead

Trying to find a way to block things is only a small mask on the bigger issue. The addiction to gamble is what needs to be addressed. Speaking form experience Gamstop is good, and makes you work a little harder, but you will always find ways around it if you want to. The first step is talking about it - something that unfortunately took me years to do. And the realisation that the opposite to addiction is connection - the addiction comes from a lack of connection in the real world. Address your life and what is holding you back. Find things that you enjoy and the company of people you enjoy. If you have connection in the real world, you will not feel the need to escape it. Again, if you do not address the issue itself, you will go round and round in circles until you realise that you can't move on until you do.