As the debate in the UK rages on whether gambling companies should be contributing to tackling problem gambling, GambleAware, an initiative that specializes in helping consumers stay protected and treat gambling disorders, has revealed the amounts of contributions forwarded to its coffers by operators for the first three quarters of the 2021/22 fiscal year.
William Hill, bet365 and Entain Top Contributors’ List
The campaign has received £16 million ($21.7 million) in various donations from contributors. By law, the United Kingdom mandates that 0.1% of gambling operators’ gross gaming yield must be directed to GambleAware to help with various campaigns designed to address excessive and problem gambling behaviors and fund treatment and research.
Bet365 sits on top of the pack with total contributions amounting to £4.2 million ($5.69 million), followed by Entain with £4 million ($5.42 million). Bet365 sent all of its contributions in the second quarter and did not make any additional contributions in the third quarter, GambleAware’s report reveals. William Hill contributed some £1 million ($1.36 million).
The leading operators in the UK have pledged to donate 1% of their gross gaming yield and have delivered on this promise. Meanwhile, the three aforementioned companies remained the top contributors to GambleAware and cumulatively amassed 90% of the organization’s donations in the three quarters.
Meanwhile, bet365, William Hill, Entain, and Flutter Entertainment have pledged another £100 million ($135.59 million) to help improve treatment services for problem gambling in the country. The donations should be made by 2023. The organization had this to add in a statement:
“GambleAware continues to call for a mandatory levy to address gambling harms and ensure transparency and consistency across the industry.”
GambleAware
GambleAware is confident that this funding has proven helpful, and it would further be used to advance various research, treatment, and prevention options for consumers.
Reassessing the Relation between Treatment and Industry Funding
GambleAware CEO Zoe Osmund has been a proponent of a mandatory levy that holds operators accountable and ensures greater transparency and commitment to the problem that is problem gambling.
The National Health Service (NHS) has announced that it could cut its relationship with GambleAware. The NHS is looking for funding to address the issue independently from the industry. GambleAware has also been looking into specific groups and deploying personalized and tailored campaigns.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom is preparing to re-regulate its gambling industry from scratch, which would most likely come with several mentions of the issue. What an overhauled industry would look like is expected to be revealed later this year. Problem gambling remains an issue in the United Kingdom and is being tackled.
All of the top contributors to GambleAware have stated that they would seek to eliminate their revenue from problem gambling. This is a process that would take time.