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Gambling Hypnotherapy, by Video Anywhere in Australia
It’s late, the house is quiet, and the app is open again. You promised yourself last week. Gambling hypnotherapy works on the urge and the moments that set it off. It sits alongside the free help that’s already there.
At a glance: 4 sessions by video, with optional emotional repair sessions afterwards. $1,000 in total paid upfront, or $1,200 paid session by session.
Or call 0427 218 092
15-minute phone call, no obligation. I’ll call you within 24 hours. See what it costs
- 14 yearsin clinical practice
- FellowAustralian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists
- AHA approvedCPD courses I teach other hypnotherapists
- 1 to 1with Ernest, by video from home
Ernest McLeod, clinical hypnotherapistAn Adelaide practice, seeing clients across Australia by video. Fourteen years in practice.
Does any of this sound familiar?
- You chase a loss, telling yourself one more bet will square it.
- You’ve deleted the betting app, then downloaded it again the same week.
- There’s money moving that your partner doesn’t know about.
- A win feels less like joy and more like relief.
- Payday has started to feel like a countdown.
- You check the scores on a game you don’t even care about, because there’s money on it.
If some of those landed, read on. If you need to talk to someone tonight, Gambling Help is on 1800 858 858, free, any hour.
Why it’s so hard to stop gambling
It’s hard to stop gambling because the urge arrives before the thinking does. Problem gambling rarely feels like a choice from the inside. Emotional triggers come first: a bad day, a quiet evening, a notification, a payday.
Then there’s a stretch where the bet seems perfectly reasonable, followed by a crash. Promises made the morning after don’t reach that stretch, and willpower alone often gives out. Hypnotherapy for gambling is aimed at that gap between the trigger and the bet.
How hypnosis helps with gambling addiction
Hypnosis helps by working on the urge to gamble at the moment it shows up. Hypnosis is focused, relaxed attention. You’re fully aware and in charge the whole time. It isn’t sleep, and you can’t be made to do anything you don’t want to do.
In a session we map your own pattern, whether it’s pokies, sports betting or online gambling. Then we rehearse the moment the pull arrives, and a calmer way through it. The aim is a longer pause between urge and action.
In my practice, I ask you to walk me through your last bet, minute by minute. The moments before you open the app or walk into the venue are where we start.
You also learn a simple routine for the evenings when it’s hardest. Stopping is only half of it. Gambling tends to leave debris: shame, strained relationships, a lot of stress about money. That’s why many people follow the program with sessions of what I call emotional repair.
How gambling hypnotherapy works online
- A free 15-minute call
You tell me what’s happening with your gambling. I tell you honestly whether I think I can help. No obligation, no judgement, and no hard sell. Ask me anything you like about hypnosis too, such as how it feels or whether you stay in charge.
- Your first session
The start of your 4-session program to stop gambling, up to 90 minutes. We map your triggers, look at what you’ve already tried, and agree what you want instead.
- Sessions by video and an audio to take home
Follow-up sessions run up to 60 minutes, spaced to suit you. Afterwards, many people add emotional repair sessions to get life back on track. You join from home with a quiet room, a reliable connection and headphones. After your sessions you receive an audio recording to listen to between appointments. You’ll learn simple self-hypnosis too. It’s for the evenings when the pull is strongest.
If you’ve searched for gambling hypnosis near you, video removes the “near”. Hypnosis needs your attention, not my physical presence. Video also means nobody sees you walk into a clinic. That matters to a lot of people with this one.
Not sure yet whether this is for you?That’s what the free call is for. Fifteen minutes, by phone, at a time that suits you.
What the research actually says
There is one controlled study of hypnosis for problem gambling, so we don’t know much yet. Lloret and colleagues (2014) gave 49 people cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). One group had 11 sessions without hypnosis. The other had 7 sessions that included self-hypnosis.
Both groups improved, and the study found no differences between them. So self-hypnosis sat comfortably inside a shorter course. What it can’t tell us is what the hypnosis did on its own.
The approach with the most evidence is CBT. A 2017 review of 27 randomised trials looked at who delivers the help (Goslar and colleagues). Treatment from a person did much better than self-guided programs. None of those trials tested hypnosis, but the point stands. Don’t do this alone. Use the free counselling as well.
Is gambling hypnotherapy safe?
For most adults, yes. Hypnosis doesn’t involve medicine, and side effects are mild and short. You might feel a little drowsy or emotional afterwards.
Gambling problems can pull your mood down. If you’re feeling low or not sleeping, see your GP as well. If you’ve had thoughts of not wanting to be here, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 before anything else.
Hypnotherapy also isn’t the right place to start if you live with psychosis. The same goes for a severe mental health condition that isn’t being treated. Talk to your GP or treating clinician first, and keep seeing them alongside our sessions. I’ll tell you honestly in the free call if someone else should help.
What gambling hypnotherapy costs: $1,000
4-session program to stop gambling: $1,000
4-session program to stop gambling: $1,000 paid upfront (that’s $250 a session), or $300 per session as you go ($1,200 for all four).
- Paid upfront: $1,000. That’s $250 a session.
- Session by session: $300 each. $1,200 for all four.
- Emotional repair, if you want it. Many people follow the program with 4 to 8 sessions of emotional repair to get life back on track, at $250 a session prepaid or $300 as you go.
- Session length: your first session runs up to 90 minutes, and follow-up sessions up to 60 minutes.
- Prepaid sessions are valid for 12 months. Any you don’t need can be used for something else, or passed on to someone you know.
- Pay by card or bank transfer. Prices in AUD. No GST applies.
Or call 0427 218 092
Please put other support around you as wellGambling Help on 1800 858 858 is free, confidential and open around the clock, with online chat at gamblinghelponline.org.au. If any of your betting is online or by phone, BetStop is the Australian Government’s free register that blocks you from licensed online and phone betting providers, for at least 3 months. It doesn’t cover pokies, casinos or TAB outlets, so ask the helpline about venue exclusion in your state. If your mood has dropped or you’re not sleeping, see your GP. And if you’ve had thoughts of not wanting to be here, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 if you’re in danger.
Who you’ll be working with
I’m Ernest McLeod. I’ve practised as a clinical hypnotherapist for fourteen years. I have an Adelaide practice and see clients right across Australia by video. Gambling is one of the areas I train other practitioners in. Before hypnotherapy I spent twenty years as a software engineer and designer. That probably explains why I care more about what works than what sounds impressive.
- Time Line Therapy® Practitioner
- Fellow, ASCH
- Trainer: AHA-approved CPD courses
- Certified NLP Practitioner
What I’m not: hypnotherapy isn’t a registered profession in Australia, so I’m not AHPRA-registered and I’m not a psychologist. My ASCH Fellowship is voluntary. I also train other hypnotherapists: my courses on quitting smoking, vaping and gambling count as professional development (CPD), approved by the Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association. More about me
Questions people ask about gambling hypnotherapy
Does gambling hypnotherapy work?
There’s only one controlled study, so we don’t know much yet. In it, 49 people had CBT either with or without self-hypnosis. Both groups improved, and there was no difference between them. That suggests self-hypnosis can sit inside a shorter course of CBT, but not what hypnosis does on its own. Use this alongside free counselling such as Gambling Help.
What is the success rate of gambling hypnotherapy?
I don’t quote one. Advertised success rates usually come from small studies or a practitioner’s own records that nobody else has checked. The published research is on this page, with its sources, so you can see the real picture.
What type of therapy is best for gambling addiction?
CBT has the most evidence. A review of 27 trials also found help from a person did much better than a program alone. Gambling Help offers free counselling, and hypnosis can sit alongside it.
Is there a cure for compulsive gambling?
I can’t promise that, and I won’t. What I can offer is work on the urge and the triggers, alongside counselling and blocking tools. Each covers a gap the others leave.
Can hypnosis for gambling help if I’ve tried to quit gambling before?
Yes, it can still be worth trying. A past attempt shows us where things came apart, and we build the sessions around that moment.
Will I lose control?
No. You hear everything, you remember it, and you can open your eyes and stop at any point. If anything, the aim is the opposite: more say over what you do when the urge turns up.
Does hypnotherapy work over video?
Yes. The work depends on your attention, and that travels well over video. Many people find it easier to be honest about gambling from home.
How many hypnotherapy sessions will I need to stop gambling?
The program to stop gambling is four sessions. Many people then add 4 to 8 sessions of emotional repair. We decide that together, once you can see how things are going.
What is emotional repair?
Sessions for what gambling leaves behind: guilt, shame, rebuilding trust at home, and the stress of sorting out money. They’re optional, and they come after the program to stop.
What if it isn’t helping?
Tell me. We change the approach if something isn’t working. If hypnotherapy isn’t right for you, I’ll say so and point you towards what might be. Unused prepaid sessions stay yours for 12 months, to use for something else or pass on.
Is it covered by Medicare or my health fund?
Hypnotherapy isn’t covered by Medicare, and you don’t need a GP referral. Health fund extras cover varies, so check with your fund before you start.
Ready when you are
Tell me the best time to reach you and I’ll call within 24 hours. Fifteen minutes, no obligation.
Request a free consultationOr call 0427 218 092
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Where these numbers come from
Lloret D, Montesinos R, Capafons A (2014). Waking self-hypnosis efficacy in cognitive-behavioral treatment for pathological gambling: an effectiveness clinical assay. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 62(1): 50-69. doi.org/10.1080/00207144.2013.841474. Source of the 49 participants and the 11 versus 7 sessions. The study assigned people to groups but does not describe itself as randomised.
Goslar M, Leibetseder M, Muench HM, Hofmann SG, Laireiter AR (2017). Efficacy of face-to-face versus self-guided treatments for disordered gambling: a meta-analysis. Journal of Behavioral Addictions 6(2): 142-162. doi.org/10.1556/2006.6.2017.034. Source of the 27 randomised trials.
BetStop: betstop.gov.au. What BetStop doesn’t cover and the 3-month minimum: Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission, vgccc.vic.gov.au. Helpline: healthdirect.gov.au/gambling-addiction. I’ll always show you where a number came from.
Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy. It isn’t medical treatment or a diagnosis. It doesn’t replace your doctor, a psychologist or a gambling counsellor. If gambling is affecting your mental health, please speak to your GP. Last updated 9 October 2026.