GambleAware confirms £46.5m in donations from industry

GambleAware has revealed the contributions donated to it by the gambling industry within the 12-month period that ended on March 31, 2023. The charity revealed that a total of £46.5m has been forwarded to it. Once again, the bulk of these donations were volunteered by the four major companies in the United Kingdom’s regulated industry.

An estimated 92% of the money came from four companies. The donations reported were an increase from the previous report’s numbers, which stood at £30.9m, and they are so in anticipation of their commitment to boost their contributions from 0.1% of company gross gaming revenue to 1% beginning in 2023/2024.

GambleAware provided a full list of the entities that have donated during the reported period. Bet365’s entities, Hillside Technology, Hillside UK Gaming and Hillside UK Sports donated £1.66m, £0.9m, and £2.36m respectively. Ladbrokes Coral Group by Entain donated £15.2m and remained one of the biggest contributors to the charity yet another year.

William Hill was another big contributor to the charity with £4.55m, even though the company faced a stiff financial penalty by the country’s regulator, the UK Gambling Commission. Flutter donated across a number of its entities, including Sky Betting & Gaming which contributed £8.2m, Tombola (International) plc which contributed £0.95m, Paddy Power Betfair which added £8.2m and TSG Interactive Services LTD – PokerStarsUK which contributed £0.65m.

GambleAware used the opportunity to outline what it thought about the new proposed statutory levy that was pitched through the Government’s Gambling White Paper and argued that it found the idea to be fitting. According to the organization, a statutory level dedicated to research, prevention and treatment (RET) funding is a much better way to fund this particular area rather than relying on voluntary donations.

However, the White Paper is at a level of consultation and it will be a while before it is introduced or even approved, and any changes thereof – are implemented. Commenting on the latest results, GambleAware Chief Executive Zoë Osmond said that GambleAware needed funding to ensure that it delivers the National Gambling Support Network effectively and the charity remains committed to preventing gambling harm.

"We welcome government plans to introduce a statutory levy as outlined in its Gambling White Paper, which will help provide stable funding.," Osmond explained. She also noted that she hoped to see the government move without delay in implementing the levy.

Image credit: Unsplash.com