British Gambling Commission assigns £32.8m to GambleAware

The “system stabilisation fund” is intended to support GambleAware through the transition to funding via a mandatory levy on gambling operators.

UK.- The Gambling Commission has assigned £32,844,197 to the gambling harm prevention charity GambleAware as a “system stabilisation fund”. The funds are intended to support GambleAware services through the transition from voluntary funding from industry donations to funding via a statutory levy on gambling revenue.

The funding will cover existing programmes for gambling harm prevention, support and treatment and new initiatives aimed at reducing inequities in gambling harm treatment. The charity will develop an integrated system designed to improve access to services through research.

The Gambling Commission highlighted three priority areas for research:

• Building the evidence base for gambling harms;
• System research to inform how funds or services are provided;
• Evidence translation or dissemination.

GambleAware has long called for the replacement of voluntary gambling industry donations with a mandatory levy on gambling revenue in order to provide more stability and continuity in its funding. The UK government’s gambling white paper also recommended the move.

The change could also help end accusations that GambleAware is too close to the gambling industry, something that led the NHS to stop working with the charity.

Larger operators currently donate a minimum of 0.1 per cent of gross gambling yield (GGY) to GambleAware each year, while operators with annual GGY of under £250,000 are encouraged to donate £250. A statutory levy would make payments mandatory, but the rate has not yet been defined.

NHS England has supported the recommendation while the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) says it will support the move if it is independent and factors in land-based gambling operators.

GambleAware donations in Q1

GambleAware received £430,813 in donations and pledges in the first quarter of the 2023-24 financial year. This was a drop of 1.1 per cent compared to April to June last year. It received £317,099 in Research, Education and Treatment contributions from operators and £113,714 in non-RET donations coming from unclaimed winnings or funds in inactive accounts. All of the non-RET donations came from 888. There were no contributions from regulatory settlements in the quarter.

The largest donation in the quarter came from BetFred (£50,000). Games Global donated £35,000, Star Racing £28,916, Betway £25,000, and Virgin Bet £22,836. The Postcode Lottery donated £18,708 and LiveScore £15,574. None of the largest operators made donations in Q1, but they tend to make their contributions at the end of the financial year. GambleAware donations for the 2022-23 financial year reached £46.5m.

See also: British Gambling Commission opens white paper consultations