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GUIDEUpdated By Andy (MKAndy)

How to Block Gambling Payments at Your Bank (Canada and US)

Chains and a padlock locking out online casinos: how to block gambling payments at your bank

Most big banks in Canada and the US don't offer a self-serve gambling block the way UK banks do. When we checked in October 2026, none of the big five Canadian banks or the largest US banks published one. So you build your own: call your bank and ask, lock down your cards and transfers, cut off crypto, and bring in someone you trust to watch the account.

I gambled from 18 to my mid-20s and ran up roughly $100,000 in debt. Self-exclusion and blockers stop the sites. This stops the money, and when the urge hits, the money is what you'll reach for.

1. Call your bank and ask

Even without a published feature, ask. Call the number on the back of each card and say:

  • "I have a gambling problem. Can you block gambling transactions on my cards?"
  • "Can you lower my credit limit and turn off cash advances?"
  • "Can you flag my account so limit increases need a cooling-off period?"

Some banks can do more than they advertise, and asking puts it on record. Do it for every card and account you have, not just your main one.

2. Lock down your cards

  • Remove saved cards from every casino, sportsbook and payment app, and from your browser's autofill.
  • Turn off cash advances on credit cards. Casinos and crypto purchases often go through as cash advances.
  • Lower your limits. Lower credit limits and lower daily debit limits mean a bad night costs less.
  • Cancel cards you don't need. Every open card is another door.

3. Watch your transfers

In Canada, many casino sites take Interac e-Transfer. In the US, many use online bank transfers and payment apps. A card block won't stop those.

  • Delete saved casino payees and payment app links.
  • Ask your bank to lower your e-Transfer and daily transfer limits.
  • Unlink your bank from any payment app you used to fund gambling.

4. Cut off crypto

Crypto casinos don't care about bank blocks. If you used crypto to gamble:

  • Cash out what you hold, or ask someone you trust to hold the keys for a while.
  • Close or lock your exchange accounts, and unlink your bank from them.
  • Self-exclude from the crypto casinos themselves. Start with the Stake guide.

5. Bring in someone you trust

This is the hardest step, and the most effective. Ask a partner, parent or friend to:

  • Get view access to your accounts or statements.
  • Hold your spare cards, or change passwords on accounts you don't need day to day.
  • Sit with you once a month and go through your statements.

Telling someone was the turning point for me. It takes the secrecy away, and gambling needs secrecy.

6. Block the sites too

Payment blocks and site blocks cover each other's gaps. See how to block gambling sites on your phone and computer, and self-exclude from every casino you've used.

Guides for other casinos (25)

See all guides, plus the steps that work for any casino

If you're in debt

Don't try to win it back. That's the trap. Talk to a non-profit credit counsellor instead: in Canada, Credit Canada; in the US, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. The helplines below can point you to free gambling-specific support too.

If it still doesn't feel like enough

For the first year and a half after I quit, I still thought about gambling every day. What finally quieted it was filling that time with something else: here's how chess helped me quit gambling.

If you're struggling right now

Pawn of God never uses affiliate links. Bank features change; if your bank has added a gambling block, tell us at hello@pawnofgod.com and we'll add it. Last checked October 31, 2026.

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