GamCare expects further disruption in UK gambling support sector
The charity has presented its first annual trustee report since the transition to the new gambling levy.
UK.- GamCare, the UK’s largest provider of frontline gambling support, has published its Trustee Report for 2025/26. The charity has pledged to remain a cornerstone of Britain’s gambling harm treatment system following the replacement of the voluntary funding model with the UK gambling levy.
Chair Margot Daly reflected on the transition, stressing that GamCare’s guiding principle had been “to keep the quality of services at the centre of every decision”. She added: “After nearly three decades in this sector, we know that periods of change are when quality and continuity matter most, and as we continue delivering in England and Scotland under the new arrangements, that is where our focus will stay.”
The report cites more than 114,000 contacts to the National Gambling Helpline and digital services between April 2025 and March 2026, with over 11,400 onward referrals, confirming its role as the “principal gateway into treatment and specialist support”. Structured therapy reached 2,811 clients through more than 10,300 sessions, while demand for financial guidance nearly tripled, rising from 354 to 969 people.
Almost 97 per cent of surveyed treatment completers reported positive changes in their circumstances, with average Problem Gambling Severity Index scores falling from 14.4 at entry to 3.3 at completion.
Education and prevention outreach reached 17,100 people including more than 2,100 professionals trained to identify gambling-related harm across health, justice, finance and the armed forces. Looking ahead, GamCare said it intends to address emerging risks such as crypto trading, unlicensed operators and informal gambling.
The group noted that the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) independent review judged GamCare’s helpline and treatment services “safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led”, noting no evidence of industry influence. Stakeholders described the charity as “fully integrated” and “genuinely collaborative”, while commissioners gave an average satisfaction rating of 4.9 out of five.
Chief Executive Victoria Corbishley welcomed the findings, remarking: “Behind every one of this year’s 114,000 contacts to the National Gambling Helpline and its online services is a person who chose to ask for support – often for the first time. That same care runs through to treatment. This year, people were assessed within days and nearly 97 per cent told us it brought positive change in their lives. We enter the new commissioning landscape with a clear mandate, a proven model and an unwavering commitment to the people we serve.”
Financially, GamCare recorded income of £19.9m, broadly stable against £20.3m the previous year, while expenditure fell from £16.1m to £14.8m, producing a £5m surplus. Reserves rose from £11m to nearly £16m, including £2.4m in restricted funds, with £2m designated for digital development.
Trustees linked the stronger reserves to uncertainty around future levy funding, noting that industry donations had already dropped 44 per cent, from £7.5m to £4.2m, following the closure of GambleAware in March 2026. Staff numbers also declined, with average headcount falling from 253 to 229.
The charity acknowledged that its financial resilience may contrast with smaller organisations facing greater risk under the levy transition. NHS England has guaranteed GamCare’s contracts to operate the National Gambling Helpline and deliver services across four English regions, while OHID has awarded more than £4m for outreach in Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands, London and the South East. In Scotland, GamCare secured funding for treatment and prevention in the Highlands and Islands, though its commissioned services in Wales were not renewed.
Corbishley noted that the first statutory levy awards had already provided lessons about how services can be commissioned and coordinated. However, GamCare warned of further disruption as the government’s planned abolition of NHS England will transfer commissioning to Integrated Care Boards from April 2027. Current NHS contracts are for a single year only, leaving future arrangements uncertain.
The charity has urged commissioners to conduct an early review of governance, with Corbishley emphasising: “With further commissioning decisions expected ahead of April 2027, we believe there is a valuable opportunity to reflect on the early implementation of the levy and ensure the next phase is built on the strongest possible foundations. We would welcome the chance to contribute our frontline experience and insight to that process.”
