BGC donate record £172.5m to tackle UK problem gambling and delivers Government plea

THE Betting and Gaming Council’s largest members have donated £122.5m over four years to tackle problem gambling and gambling related harm, new figures reveal.

This record funding increase is £22.5m more than the £100m the BGC’s four largest members pledged to contribute between 2020 and March 2024.

The BGC estimates that 492 bookies, across 38 businesses, will be negatively impacted by a 0.4% Levy.GETTY

Four years ago, BGC members, Flutter, Entain, bet365 and Evoke (888/William Hill), pledged a major uplift in Research, Prevention and Treatment (RPT) contributions to be predominantly administered by the independent charity GambleAware to help fund this work.

In addition, BGC members also funded the £10m Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme, delivered by leading charities YGAM and GamCare, which has reached more than two million 11 to 19-year-olds, and those working with them in the UK, taking overall donations from the largest operators to £132.5m.

Around a further £10m has also been donated annually from other BGC members and UK regulated licensees, taking the contribution over the last four years to approximately £172.5m.

This year alone, BGC members expect to provide RPT funding of around £50m to a host of vital charities.

For over 20 years, the regulated betting and gaming industry has contributed millions to fund Research, Prevention and Treatment services to tackle problem gambling and gambling related harm, via a unique voluntary levy on all operators.

This record contribution helps sustain a network of entirely independent third sector RPT providers, which currently treat around 85 per cent of all problem gamblers receiving treatment in Britain.

All RPT donations only go to charities accredited by the independent regulator the Gambling Commission to deliver these services, and BGC members have no say on how the money is spent.

The BGC called for the current voluntary model to be replaced with a statutory levy, as long as it is independent, protects longstanding, expert providers of RPT in the third sector and is tiered to protect land-based operators.

Those expert providers include GamCare, with over 200 staff members, who have delivered over 38,000 structured treatment sessions between 2022/23. And Gordon Moody which operates the country’s only residential care centre for women problem gamblers.

In September last year, Stephanie Peacock MP, the newly appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at DCMS got to see Gordon Moody’s world class support and treatment services first hand when she visited their Residential Centre in Dudley.

She praised the safe environment they provide and thanked service users and staff for sharing their experiences and providing a tour of the centre.

In addition to RPT donations, BGC members have raised millions more for a host of other charity initiatives. The BGC alone has raised in excess of £6m for veterans, sports and health charities through the Grand National Charity Bet Campaign and Britania Stakes Charity Bet campaign.

Wes Himes, BGC Executive Director of Standards and Innovation, said: “Around 22.5 million people in this country enjoy a regular flutter, and the overwhelming majority do so perfectly safely and responsibly.

“Our mission to raise standards carries on strong and these figures demonstrate our actions are backed by significant financial contributions which are making a real difference.

“Our members have no say on how these funds are spent and RPT donations only go to independent organisations accredited by the Gambling Commission to deliver these critical services.

“For the BGC and our members, the priority is ensuring the money reaches these charities doing exceptional work in Prevention and Treatment and funds truly independent, evidence led research.

“While this voluntary levy has delivered record funding, the BGC supports the replacement of the current levy scheme with a mandatory one, but the delivery of this new scheme must ensure future funding security for the third sector which is delivering such excellent work.

“As we go forward, this huge investment will continue, underlining this sector’s unrivalled commitment to responsible betting and gaming.”

The previous Government had launched a consultation into the creation of new Levy, but the consultation response has been delayed by the General Election.

Despite this, BGC members have pledged to maintain voluntary contributions to ensure charities have funding security.

However, the BGC remains concerned about current proposals outlined by the previous Government, which would negatively impact independent bookmakers, who face being charged disproportionately high Levy costs of 0.4 per cent on Gross Gambling Yield.

If enforced, this could threaten shop closures and job losses, because of the smaller margins for independent bookmakers and other financial overheads, like energy costs.

There were nearly 696 independent betting shops at the start of 2019, 160 have since closed, a reduction of around 23 per cent.

The BGC estimates that 492 bookies, across 38 businesses, will be negatively impacted by a 0.4% Levy.

BGC members overall contribute £7.1bn for the economy and generate £4.2bn in tax while supporting 110,000 jobs.

Each month in Great Britain around 22.5m adults have a bet and the most recent NHS Health Survey for England estimated that 0.4 per cent of the adult population are problem gamblers.