GambleAware receives £4.5m in donations from gaming operators
The British gambling charity has also launched a new campaign to promote problem gambling treatment.
UK.- The gambling charity GambleAware has revealed that operators donated a combined £4.5m in the first three quarters of the 2020-21 financial year.
The list of donors was led by Flutter Entertainment, which committed £874,000 to the charity in the nine months up to December 31.
It was followed by bet365, which donated £763,000 and William Hill (£540,000). William Hill has pledged to donate £1m for the full 2020-21 financial year.
The charity also received £450,000 from Gamesys, £134,000 from Betway and £50,000 from 888 Holdings. The entertainment arcade operator Praesepe Holdings donated £28,000 and has pledged £85,500.
Petfre Gibraltar, BetFred’s igaming subsidiary, made separate donations of £40,364, £35,057 and £26,783. Casumo made two separate donations (£27,446 and £16,170) and Blueprint made four donations from its subsidiaries (£23,000, £19,000, £18,000 and £1,500).
GambleAware also received funds from regulatory settlements between operators and the Gambling Commission, including £3m from William Hill as a result of its agreement following harm prevention and money laundering failures at Mr Green.
Settlements with the regulator also led the charity to receive £5.8m from Betway due to its breaches of social responsibility and money laundering regulations for high-spending customers.
New campaign for National Gambling Treatment Service
Meanwhile, GambleAware has launched a new phase in its campaign to promote awareness of the UK’s free National Gambling Treatment Service.
Provided alongside the National Health Service (NHS), the service provides telephone, online and face-to-face treatment across Great Britain.
The new online, radio and press campaign is targeted at high-risk gamblers aged 22 to 55 and will have the tagline “Start to regain control”.
It will stress the all-consuming nature of gambling with the line “when you’re there, but not there”.
Content will emphasise that people with gambling problems feel disconnected from family and friends and will seek to show the ease of accessing treatment.
The campaign will target regions that have been identified as having higher proportions of at-risk players, including London, the East Midlands and West Midlands.
GambleAware communications and engagement director, Zoe Osmond, said: “So far, the campaign has proven to be successful in encouraging people to contact the National Gambling Treatment Service for support, but there is still more to be done.
“During the pandemic and this extremely difficult time for people, it is vital that we continue to ensure those in need of help understand what services are available to them, which is why we are taking this targeted approach to help reach those high risk areas across Great Britain.”
GambleAware issued its first report on the National Gambling Treatment Service in October, finding that those using the service had seen a 90 per cent improvement.
In November, GambleAware launched a survey on the barriers to demand and take up of treatment for gambling-related harm in Britain.
