Blog: Can the UK statutory levy on gambling harm satisfy anyone?

Now that the new system to fund gambling charities is officially in place in the UK, will that prove a solid positive for the sector, or is a bit of convincing still needed to justify the decision?

For those unaware of how gambling harm funding works in the UK, it used to be that voluntary contributions from operators were given to GambleAware, which would commission the funds to charities across the whole of the UK.

However, with GambleAware closing down, this is now history thanks to recommendations made in the 2005 Gambling Act Review White Paper, which mandated a statutory Prevention, Treatment and Research levy to raise £100m annually.

With 50% of the funds allocated to treatment and commissioned by the NHS, and 20% going for research and handled by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), 30% is left for prevention, which is the money meant to go to gambling charities.

This stream, while previously commissioned by GambleAware, is now handled by the Office for Health Improvement and..