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Five of the UK’s leading sports betting operators have voluntarily agreed to increase funding for UK problem gambling addiction, treatment and research initiatives.
The list includes bet365, William Hill Plc, Flutter Entertainment, Sky Bet and GVC Holdings who have all pledged to the UK government that they will commit to increasing “voluntary contributions to 1% of gross-gaming-yield revenues” – helping raise funds for UK problem gambling addiction, treatment and research initiatives.
BBC reported that the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has received a joint letter from the UK’s ‘five biggest gambling firms’ outlining their plans to increase voluntary contributions for a period of five years.
In April, gambling charity GambleAware called for UK operators to provide more financial support for its problem gambling treatment efforts after industry funding failed to meet its 2018-19 target. Voluntary donations from the industry during the 12 months to March 31, 2019, amounted to £9.6m, short of the £10m that trustees of the charity had asked of the market.
“We are committing to collaborate to address gambling-related harm with the priority of protecting the young and vulnerable,” – reads a BBC extract of the communication sent to DCMS Secretary Jeremy Wright who confirmed that he had met with operators to discuss plans as to how the industry can better address gambling-related issues.
“I want the gambling industry to step up on social responsibility and keep their players safe, including through making more funding available for research, education and treatment to tackle problem gambling,” said Wright.
