GambleAware awards £2m in funding for long-term gambling harm recovery programmes

The funding was awarded by GambleAware’s Aftercare Funding Programme (AFP).

UK.- GambleAware has awarded £2m in funding to 10 organisations to support the long-term recovery of people who have experienced gambling harms. Awarded from GambleAware’s Aftercare Funding Programme (AFP), the funds aim to aid the delivery of additional support people might require as part of a long-term recovery.

Organisations were chosen through a selection process involving a panel of experts, including two people with personal experience of gambling harm. Applicants had to demonstrate how they would achieve sustained recoveries from gambling harm, including mental health and wellbeing, practical skills and increasing confidence and self-belief.

Two levels of funding were available: up to £150,000 for new or smaller organisations or those looking to test a new approach, and £350,000 for larger, established organisations seeking to grow or develop. One of the groups chosen was Cyrenians, which will use funds for one-to-one and group trauma-informed support for homeless people in Edinburgh.

Another successful applicant was Acta Community Theatre, which will provide a creative peer support group in Bristol.

GambleAware’s chief commissioning officer Anna Hargrave said: “Enabling people to access treatment and support to reduce or stop their gambling is essential. But there is less known about how to ensure this recovery can be sustained over the long term. 

“This is why our Aftercare Funding Programme was set up to fund projects which support recovery for people to help them rebuild their lives. 

“These 10 organisations were chosen to receive funding because of their innovative approaches, as well as their abilities to reach specific communities. We look forward to seeing how the projects develop.”

Last month, GambleAware began seeking two new members for its Lived Experience Council (LEC), which it launched in December. The group consists of people who have been affected by gambling harm. It’s intended that their experience will help inform the charity’s work in the area.

The LEC is to have 12 members, including its chair, Ben Howard, but two seats are vacant. Applications are now open, with GambleAware keen to attract people disproportionately affected by gambling harms or from underrepresented groups.

In January, GambleAware published a list of the donations and pledges it received from Q1 to Q3 in its current financial year. The organisation received £13.2m in donations and no funds from regulatory settlements.

Donations from GambleAware’s two biggest donors in the period, bet365 and Entain, accounted for 90 per cent of all funding received at £4.9m and £7m respectively. Other British-licensed operators accounted for the remaining 10 per cent of funds, with several smaller operators donating the minimum £250.