Bet365, Entain Topped the List of GambleAware’s $21M in Donations Last Year

Posted on: February 9, 2022, 09:57h. 

Last updated on: February 9, 2022, 10:21h.

Erik Gibbs Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

GambleAware, the UK’s responsible gambling charity, has released data on how much money it is picking up to fund its initiatives. In the first three quarters of the current fiscal year, it received over £16 million (US$21 million).

GambleAware has been pulling down a lot of money to fund its responsible gambling programs. Much of it is coming directly from gambling operators. The charity has reported that £16 million made its way to its accounts during the first three quarters of the 2021-22 fiscal year. Of that amount, two particular operators made significant contributions.

Operators Keep GambleAware Moving

UK gambling operators “voluntarily” provide 0.1% of their gross gaming yield to the charity. A quarter of the funds – £4.2 million ($5.68 million) came from bet365, according to GambleAware’s data. With the operator’s boss, Denise Coates, being a major source of tax revenue for the economy, the amount isn’t surprising.

Entain was next on the list, providing only slightly less than bet365’s amount. It gave GambleAware £4 million ($5.4 million), with William Hill next in line at £1 million ($1.35 million).

These figures and positions are similar to what GambleAware reported for the first half of the fiscal year. At the time, bet365 gave £4.2 million, Entain provided £2 million and William Hill contributed £1 million. During the first half of the fiscal year, GambleAware received a total of £10.6 million ($14.36 million)

The funding is also used to finance the National Gambling Treatment Service, the Annual Treatment and Support Survey and national Gambling Education Hubs. It also supports the group’s so-called “40 work streams of work” that are necessary to achieve its four goals.

GambleAware Wants More

The contribution of 0.1% helps, but there have been calls for an increase to 1%. A number of operators have adopted this new level on their own, which shows in GambleAware’s latest report.

However, it’s still not enough. The charity wants to see a mandatory contribution, not a voluntary system. It has previously asserted that this is the only way that it can properly address gambling harms and ensure the industry operates with greater transparency. GambleAware also asserts that it is necessary to ensure available funding for continued research into problem gambling.

The charity would also welcome a mandatory contribution to help offset potential losses. The National Health Service (NHS) of the UK announced recently that it was no longer willing to accept contributions from charities tied to the gambling industry.

This includes GambleAware, and as a result, it will no longer be able to lean on the NHS to codevelop responsible gambling programs.

Gambling Law Changes Coming

Gambling reform is coming to the UK, but won’t arrive until at least May, according to the most recent update. This will allow more time for those lobbying for stricter controls to try to influence decision-makers.

They will likely pull out a new statistic to support their desire for a crackdown. The Insolvency Service of the UK recently intervened in the cases of 32 people who had filed bankruptcy for excessive gambling in the past year.

All 32 received gambling bans, according to Mazars, a professional service and auditing company that serves the financial industry. The individuals received Bankruptcy Restrictions Orders. This forbids them from engaging in gambling and excessive spending for as many as 15 years, depending on the circumstances.