Every email from a casino is a trigger designed by marketing experts to pull you back in. It's no coincidence: betting companies spend millions on retention campaigns. Blocking these emails isn't an overreaction — it's survival.
Why is it so important to block these emails?
Gambling operators use highly sophisticated psychological techniques in their emails: "exclusive" welcome bonuses, free spins "just for you", alerts that your favourite team is playing tonight... Each one is designed to trigger the impulse, especially when you're vulnerable. Blocking them is a fundamental line of defence.
What you're going to do
We're going to create filters in Gmail that automatically send any email containing gambling-related keywords straight to the bin. The whole process takes about 10 minutes.
Step 1 — Open filter settings
- Open Gmail in your browser (mail.google.com). It's much easier to do this on a computer than on your phone.
- Click the gear icon (⚙️) in the top-right corner.
- Click "See all settings".
- Go to the "Filters and Blocked Addresses" tab.
- Click "Create a new filter" (at the bottom of the list).
Step 2 — Create the main English gambling filter
In the "Has the words" field, enter the following string. Copy it exactly as it appears:
{"welcome bonus" OR "free spins" OR "deposit bonus" OR "no deposit bonus" OR "sports betting" OR "bet now" OR "place your bet" OR "enhanced odds" OR gambling OR "slot machine" OR "live casino" OR "cash out" OR bookmaker OR wager OR "free bet" OR "cash back" OR "accumulator" OR "in-play" OR "bet builder" OR jackpot OR "loyalty reward" OR "VIP bonus"}
- Leave all other fields empty.
- Click "Create filter" (not "Search").
- Tick the "Delete it" checkbox (this sends emails straight to the bin).
- Also tick "Also apply filter to matching conversations" to clean up emails you already have.
- Click "Create filter".
Step 3 — Create a second filter for Spanish terms
Many casinos send emails in Spanish or mix languages. Repeat the process above with these keywords:
{casino OR apuesta OR apuestas OR "bono de bienvenida" OR "tiradas gratis" OR "giros gratis" OR tragaperras OR "apuesta deportiva" OR "cuota mejorada" OR freebet OR ruleta OR blackjack OR "máquina tragamonedas" OR slot OR slots OR "bono sin depósito" OR "super cuota" OR "apuesta gratuita"}
Step 4 — Create a third filter for German terms
If you've ever gambled on German platforms, add this filter too:
{Spielautomat OR Freispiele OR Willkommensbonus OR Sportwetten OR "Einzahlungsbonus" OR Glücksspiel OR Spielhalle OR "Online Casino" OR Wettbonus OR Casinospiele}
Step 5 — Block specific senders
In addition to keyword filters, you can block individual senders. For each casino email in your inbox:
- Open the email.
- Click the three vertical dots (⋮) next to the reply button.
- Select "Block [sender]".
- Confirm by clicking "Block".
Repeat this for every email from casinos, bookmakers, and payday lenders you can find. Yes, it takes a while, but every one you block is one less trigger.
Step 6 — Unsubscribe
By law (GDPR in Europe, CAN-SPAM in the US), all commercial emails must include an unsubscribe link. It's usually at the bottom of the email in small print. Click it for each operator. This doesn't always work instantly (some take days), which is why we combine this with the filters above.
Step 7 — Final cleanup
- Go to your inbox and search for "casino" or "bet" or "bonus". Select all results and delete them.
- Go to the Spam folder and do the same.
- Go to the Promotions tab and repeat. Many casino emails end up here.
- Empty the bin: Bin → "Empty Bin now".
Pro tip: Review your filters every 2–3 months. Operators constantly change their promotional terms and sender addresses. If you spot a casino email that's slipped through, add its keywords to your existing filters.
What else can I do?
- Activate self-exclusion in your country — see our complete self-exclusion guide.
- Also block emails in Hotmail or Outlook if you use other accounts.
- Uninstall all casino and betting apps from your phone.
- Ask your bank to block transactions to gambling operators.
You've done something important today. Every barrier you put between yourself and gambling makes you stronger. You don't need to be perfect — you just need to make relapsing a little harder each day.