If any confirmation was needed that the UK is entering a new era of gambling harm prevention, the first list of the initial recipients of levy funding has provided it.
Trepidation has been brewing in recent months over the fragmentation of the approach to safer gambling, with many key players even opting to step back from the new process as Public Health England and the new system structure accelerate away from any ties to industry.
Reading between the lines, the Office of Health Improvement and Disparties’ (OHID) list of funding destinations has underpinned a new stance that sees gambling treated in a similar way to obesity, tobacco or alcohol – a public health approach, perhaps.
Many have lamented the dilution of the nuance previously taken to safer gambling, as it’s been thrust onto the agenda of Public Health England. A more regimented strategy seems on the agenda, with a prevention-first stance that mirrors that taken to tobacco and alcohol.
BetBlocker was granted £1,120,000, Gambling Harm UK, which focuses on training and responding to risks were issued £1,248,620 and YGAM – a charity focused on education and prevention in schools – was issued £3,000,000.
YGAM, was the second biggest winner in the initial round – delivering educational programmes to a younger audience, outlines one of the demographics that OHID believes is most vulnerable and why ensuring prevention matters is vital.
Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Youth Network and a myriad of local Citizens’ Advice Bureaus were also issued funding, looking to boost the education around gambling harms.
Even for organisations that received funding, concerns will no doubt remain over their long-term financial projections.
For example, according to GamCare’s annual report, the charity received £11.3m from service contracts and grant agreements with GambleAware. However, it received just over £4m from OHID’s allocation, though this still makes it the single largest funding recipient in OHID’s list.
This means that the charity, which operates the National Gambling Helpline, must hope that this is made up by the NHS when it allocates the 50% of levy funding earmarked for treatment, or seek alternative streams of income.
Responding on LinkedIn, BetBlocker CEO, Duncan Garvie, stated: “I feel humbled for BetBlocker to be approved in this manner.
“Whilst we’re obviously very happy to receive this support, and to have our work considered appropriate to receive funding, I feel the weight of this grant.
“But as proud as I feel about the award, the last few weeks have been very bittersweet for me. So many important organisations, delivering high-quality services, were unsuccessful in securing funding. These decisions have real-world consequences and present potentially existential challenges for those organisations.
“Nothing I can say will provide any real solace to organisations in this position. But I extend my hand to them. If there is any way that I/we can help support our partners in the sector during this challenging time, please just reach out.”
The full future of what safer gambling will look like in the UK remains to be seen, but the seemingly undeniable shift in the way that gambling is viewed will likely fuel frustration amongst many in the industry.
The approach of OHID risks shifting the perspective of gambling from a past time that has been woven into the fabric of UK sporting culture, to a harmful product, assessing gambling as something inherently bad.
The nuance and understanding provided by industry collaboration have previously been seen as a key avenue to ensure the best protection, however, it is hard to deny that it’s at risk of dwindling in a new funding era.
Speaking at the Illegal Gambling Prevention Summit, Jordan Lea, the Founder of DealMeOut, stated that ‘treatment providers need to be able to work with the industry, without fear or favour’, warning that the race for funding has risked isolating those that need help most.
With big casualties already being felt in the safer gambling ecosystem, a softening of stances from both sides is essential to best equip the safeguarding of those most at risk to problem gambling.
In many ways, the funding and rejuvenated approach to education around the sector is a welcome development, as a new, younger audience is exposed to gambling through various avenues.
However, nuance is essential, as the gambling industry is unlike any other and taking a copy-and-paste approach from other high-risk industries simply isn’t efficient.
Industry collaboration and expertise must be embraced as a crucial part of the industry continues into widespread transformation.
