Add it to Chrome in five steps
Works in Chrome, Edge and Brave. You'll use Chrome's built-in "Developer mode" to load it — that's normal and safe. It simply means the extension is installed from a file on your computer instead of from a store.
- Download and unzip. Download the file above and unzip it into a folder you'll keep — for example inside your Documents. Don't delete or move this folder afterwards; Chrome runs the extension directly from it.
- Open the Extensions page. Type
chrome://extensionsinto Chrome's address bar and press Enter. - Turn on Developer mode. Flip the Developer mode switch in the top-right corner.
- Load it. Click Load unpacked and choose the unzipped folder — the one with
manifest.jsondirectly inside it. (If unzipping made a folder inside a folder, pick the inner one.) - Pin it. Click the puzzle-piece icon in the toolbar and pin the shield. You're protected.
Chrome may occasionally ask you to confirm "developer mode" extensions — just keep it enabled. Because it's loaded from a file, it won't auto-update: when a new version is released here, download it again and repeat step 4.
Managed devices often block self-installed extensions by policy — you'll see a "blocked by policy" message. If that happens you won't be able to install it on that machine; try a personal device instead.
What happens once it's installed
From the moment the shield is pinned, you're protected — there's nothing else to switch on. Every site you open is checked against the built-in blocklist and on-device detection, and any gambling site is stopped with a calm block screen and a link to support instead of the casino. Nothing about your browsing leaves your computer, and there's no dashboard to log into.
Click the shield in your toolbar any time to see protection is active, reach your allowlist (to permit a single licensed operator you trust), or pause protection. Pausing is deliberately a little awkward rather than one impulsive tap — that small bit of friction is the point. If the blocker ever catches a site that isn't gambling, one click adds it to your allowlist; we would rather err on the side of protection.
Using Edge or Brave instead of Chrome?
Microsoft Edge and Brave are both built on the same engine as Chrome, so the extension works in them too — and the steps are almost identical. In Edge, open edge://extensions, turn on Developer mode on the left, then click Load unpacked and choose the unzipped folder. In Brave, use brave://extensions and follow the same three steps. Everything after that — pinning the shield, the allowlist, removing it — works exactly as described above.
If something doesn't work
- "Load unpacked" is greyed out or missing. Developer mode isn't on yet — flip the switch in the top-right (Chrome) or on the left (Edge), then try again.
- Chrome says "Manifest file is missing or unreadable". You picked the wrong folder. Choose the folder that has
manifest.jsonsitting directly inside it — if unzipping created a folder within a folder, pick the inner one. - The shield disappeared after a restart. The folder was moved or deleted. Chrome runs the extension straight from that folder, so keep it somewhere permanent and re-add it with step 4 if needed.
- It won't install at all. You're likely on a managed work or school device that blocks self-installed extensions by policy. Try a personal computer instead.
Why isn't it in the Chrome Web Store?
This is a free, non-commercial tool with no budget behind it. Loading it yourself keeps it completely free and changes nothing about how it works — it blocks gambling sites and keeps everything on your device, exactly the same way.
How to remove it
Open chrome://extensions, find Online Gambling Blocker, and click Remove. That's all — there's no account to close.