GambleAware says voluntary donations grow

GambleAware, the UK-based charity working on the gambling sector, says there is “good progress” in its initiative to collect £16m for funding its new Strategic Delivery Plan.

The charity,  which recorded poor donation figures last year, received £2.8m this year up to June 30. This is thrice the amount it received during the same period last year.

GambleAware funds research, education and treatment services to help to reduce the societal harms of gambling.

Mark Etches, chief executive of GambleAware, last year publicly called for a levy to be imposed due to the industry’s failure to meet voluntary targets. However, he told iGamingBusiness.com that he was “cautiously optimistic” about current donation levels.

The donation-based system that funds GambleAware was proposed under the Gambling Act 2005 and is prescribed by the Gambling Commission in its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice.

All those who profit from gambling in Britain are asked to donate annually a minimum of 0.1 per cent of their annual gross gambling yield directly to GambleAware. Six companies, including Bet365, Gamesys and Rank Group, pledged more than £500,000 during the first three months of this year.

Dozens of small companies – those with revenue of less than £250,000 – donated the minimum £250.

In its Strategic Delivery Plan, GambleAware awarded GamCare a 20 per cent increase in annual funding in the form of a grant totalling £14m over three years. £10m has been pledged for research and evaluation and more than £5m towards education.