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Problem gambling funding body GambleAware has revealed that GVC Holdings topped its list of pledges for the six months to 30 September 2019, with the Ladbrokes and Coral owner committing a total of £1.46m (€1.69m) during the period.
The total amount of money pledged and received by UK-licenced gambling operators was £5.4m. The sum is slightly ahead of where it was last year at this time, which ended up totalling £9.6m for the 12 months ending March 31.
Among other operators, William Hill pledged £1m, Bet365 donated £868k, Betway committed £154k to the organisation in the first half, while BetVictor, Playtech and Praesepe Holdings all pledged over £100k Rank Group, through its Grosvenor Casinos and Mecca Bingo brands, has also donated £285k.
It was noted that the total sum of £5.4m did not include regulatory settlements and additional donations worth £1.29m. GambleAware collected it via its share of regulatory settlements imposed on two operators – LeoVegas (£600k) and GameSys (£690k) – by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) for various regulatory shortcomings.
The charity currently asks those in the industry to make an annual donation of 0.1% of their annual Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) directly to GambleAware, requesting that those with an annual gross gambling revenue of less than £250,000 per annum to donate a minimum of £250.
However, back in June William Hill, GVC Holdings, Flutter Entertainment (formerly Paddy Power Betfair), The Stars Group-owned Sky Betting & Gaming and bet365 have all agreed to increase their voluntary contribution from 0.1% to 1% of GGY in no more than five years.
