Blurred lines in OHID’s £39m gambling levy funding round

The British government has unveiled the recipients of over £39m in funds from the statutory levy on gambling harms, but as expected the announcement has not gone down without a hint of controversy.

The list of successful grant applications includes some familiar names: GamCare, operator of the National Gambling Helpline, has received £4m; Gambling Harm UK walks away with £1.2m; YGAM, an educational organisation, has been given £3m.

BetBlocker and Gamban, rival gambling blocking software providers, have received £1.1m and £2.7m each, respectively. This is a particularly big victory for the latter as Gamban was left out of the first tranche of grants, totaling £25m, back in April. This forced the company to adopt a paid subscription model in England and Wales, but it has now returned to free service in both countries.

However, the presence of Gambling With Lives (GWL), an organisation which doubles up as a support and treatment provider to familes who have lost loved ones to suicide b..