Three days ago, the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party held a conference to discuss policies. During the event, Gordon Moody and Green Pen Consulting organized a panel dedicated to the white paper called “The Gambling White Paper: Implications for Treatment.”

The panel saw experts comment on the measures outlined in the paper with Jane Rigbye, Ygam’s chief executive officer, expressing her thoughts on the new levy system. According to Rigbye, the new system should see the money used for gambling education and harm prevention initiatives.

Rigbye slammed the notion that some of the recipients of the levy funding are working in cahoots with gambling operators and are not independent. The CEO called this a “misguided narrative” and said that such opinions should not affect the creation of new infrastructure and processes within the industry.

Rigbye argued that organizations seeking funding should instead be measured on the quality, scalability and impact of their services.

The Money Should Prioritize Prevention over Treatment

Speaking of how the money should be used, Rigbye pointed out that it is important that the new levy is able to recognize the difference between research, education and treatment programs. Otherwise, donors may be reluctant to provide funding before the eventual establishment of the new system.

Rigbye also pointed out that this period may see the services provided by organizations reliant on the current system disrupted or discontinued.

CEO Rigbye’s call for more clarity is currently being answered by the UKGC and DCMS, which continue to discuss the future of the white paper measures.

Rigbye also noted that prevention should be prioritized over treatment.

Ygam argues that investment would be better off made upstream, so that less people need those treatment services in the first place.

Jane Rigbye, CEO, Ygam

Ygam is one of the largest gambling research, education and treatment organizations in the United Kingdom and would be one of the key beneficiaries of industry funding if the proposed levy is introduced.

In addition to Ygam representatives, The Gambling White Paper: Implications for Treatment was also attended by many other notable individuals, including politicians and company leaders.

While the Conservative Party did its best to consider the future of the country, statistics show that British bettors do not trust the party to stay in power. According to Betfair bettors, who have previously predicted outcomes such as Liz Truss’ resignation, Rishi Sunak may lose as many as 201 seats or more during the upcoming elections.

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