GambleAware names Andy Boucher as chair of trustees

Boucher will replace Siân Griffiths, who will retire on April 1.

UK.- The gambling industry-backed charity GambleAware has appointed Andy Boucher as its chair of trustees. Boucher will replace Siân Griffiths, who will retire on April 1 after becoming chair in July last year.

Boucher has served on the GambleAware board of trustees since December 2023 and is currently the charity’s deputy chair. He also serves as London Place director for business in the community and is partnership director for the Social Mobility Business Partnership, chair of Sir George Monoux Sixth Form College and vice chair and honorary secretary of the charity Making the Leap.

He will take the helm of the board of trustees at a pivotal moment as the NHS takes over GambleAware’s role as the main commissioner of gambling treatment services following the introduction of a new mandatory gambling levy on operators from next month to fund gambling research, education and treatment. 

The new levy will apply from April, and Gambling Commission-licensed operators will make their first payments under the scheme on October 1. The rate operators will pay will vary from 0.1 per cent of gross gambling yield (GGY) for pool betting licensees to 1.1 per cent of GGY for online gambling operators.

Boucher said: “It is a critical time to be taking on this role as chair of GambleAware. I am looking forward to leading the charity through this period of change. I am committed to ensuring the future gambling harms system builds on the success and expertise within the charity, which has been a driving force and leader in this space for many years.”

Griffiths said: “Gambling harms are a serious public health challenge, intertwined with inequalities and poverty. They occur across all walks of life and can affect anyone. By working in partnership with others and listening to the voice of the lived experience community, I hope an evidence-led, population-health approach, supported by appropriate statutory funding, will prevent and reduce harm for all those affected.”