The UK’s leading gambling harms charity GambleAware has released a Legacy Report ahead of its shutdown at the end of next month, but its legacy is a mixed one. GambleAware is in the process of handing over its role as chief commissioner for gambling harms research, prevention and treatment to government bodies NHS England, UK…
Deal Me Out’s Illegal Gambling Prevention Summit highlighted the extent of the black market in the UK, the causes and interrogated some of the potential solutions. The impact on racing: The opening panel of racing enthusiasts and professionals presented a grim picture. Consultant Simon French concluded that racing needs “a complete reset”. He said it…
The UK Government has created the Gambling Levy Transition Fund (GLTF) to assist charities that missed out on funding under the Statutory Levy.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said the decision has been made to ensure the continuity of gambling harm prevention and treatment services in England’, as the industry continues to navigate the ‘generational change’ brought about by the transition to a Statutory Levy on operators.
“Tight time frames for commissioning processes and decisions created the risk of a funding gap,” said DCMS.
“This may have put vulnerable service users or beneficiary groups of organisations previously funded under the voluntary system at risk. Recognising this, the GLTF has been rapidly established by DCMS to provide immediate, targeted, time-limited financial support to ensure no such gap exists.”
Although there has been no official confirmation from the government on which organisations have been successful, it is understood that some charities hav..
In today’s episode of iGaming Daily, SBC Media Manager Fernando Noodt is joined by SBC Media Director Martyn Elliott and iGaming Expert Editor Joe Streeter as the trio discuss whether current regulation, taxation and industry practices are unintentionally fuelling the growth of the gambling black market, and what needs to change to stop it. Tune…
The UK government’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has confirmed that it is finalising the list of those who have received funds from the new statutory levy for gambling harms. OHID is responsible for the £30m portion of the levy that has been branded ‘Gambling Harms Prevention: Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE)…
More people than ever in the UK are seeking financial guidance following gambling losses, according to new data from GamCare and PayPlan.
Debt provider PayPlan reported record demand in January 2026, with 21,000 contacts across the month – a 22% year-on-year increase – as specialists flagged a growing link between debt and gambling harm.
Publication of the results comes amid political pressure mounting on the UK gaming sector once again, with MPs like Dawn Butler of the Labour Party focusing heavily on the industry’s societal impact and effect on vulnerable people.
Butler is leading a campaign for the government to scrap the ‘Aim to Permit’ rule around retail licensing, taking particular aim at Adult Gaming Centres. The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Gambling Reform is also calling for another review of betting legislation, despite the last one having only concluded in 2023.
Growing demand
Meanwhile, GamCare revealed that the number of people using its Money Guidance Serv..
Entain’s Stella David has issued a criticism of the damaging consequences of the rise of prediction markets, claiming they facilitate underage sports betting in the US.
Many states across the US require players to be 21 to gamble. However, platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi, which are federally regulated through the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), have a minimum age requirement of 18.
Given that the platforms are currently offering markets on sports events, they are effectively bypassing state gambling laws, according to the Entain executive.
Updating investors yesterday, she stated: “Let me be clear, when people play the prediction markets in sports, it looks like a sports bet, it sounds like a sports bet, and it acts like a sports bet. I don’t think anybody should be in any doubt. It’s sports betting.
“In the US, you’ve got to be 21 to play, [but] 18 to 21-year-olds are playing prediction markets, and they’re playing prediction markets in non [online sports betting..
The latest data from NHS England estimates that 5% of adults in England display at-risk or problem gambling behaviours, whilst less than 1% of adults are currently classified as problem gamblers.
The figures are drawn from the Health Survey for England 2024 (HSE 2024), providing official public health data on health conditions and behavioural factors across the adult population. The survey covers England only and excludes Scotland and Wales.
The HSE tracks trends in health conditions and prevalence related to adult cigarette smoking, use of e-cigarettes (vaping), alcohol consumption, physical activity and gambling participation.
NHS England data places gambling harm within a wider public-health landscape that also includes obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and mental health conditions among adults.
Audiences are reminded to distinguish between diagnosed health conditions and behavioural risk factors that contribute to or worsen illness.
Under the HSE methodology, gambling harm is..
Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross is confident that the newly-minted illegal gambling task force will garner results as early as later this year.
The taskforce aims to find synergy between companies like Google, Meta and Visa alongside law enforcement agencies to address payments and advertising in the illegal market.
Speaking at the UK Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) AGM, Twycross stated: “I’m determined that, however hard it is for us to achieve this, it will result in fast, effective action.”
Alongside the taskforce, the UK government also allocated a further £26m to fighting the black market as part of November’s budget and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has launched a consultation on banning British sports teams partnering with unlicensed operators.
Twycross revealed resources will be largely focused on increasing resources to prosecute illegal platforms, enhancing early prevention activities and undertaking further research on the market.
On the sponso..
‘Hit jobs’ against the regulated industry have ‘eroded’ regulatory credibility and emboldened the black market, according to Rank Group’s Director of Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations, David Williams.
Speaking on a panel at the Betting and Gaming Council’s (BGC) AGM focused on the balance between tax, regulation and the illegal market, Williams lamented the picture of the industry created by targeted takedowns of the regulated sector over the years.
He said: “For every hit job that there is on the licensed [sector], and I’m not saying we have been without blame down the years, that is not true, but some of it has been excessive. Each time it happens, it generates a round of applause from black market operators because, as the erosion in the credibility of licensed operators happens, the black market celebrates.”
Williams also described the growth of the black market in recent years as a ‘symptom of an imbalance’ between the three factors – a viewpoint shared by Entain’s Grou..