NHS England, the public body of the Department of Health and Social Care, and GambleAware, the independent charity working to keep people safe from gambling harm in Great Britain, came out with a joint statement, welcoming the statutory levy on operators.

Boost RET Funding

The statutory levy on operators was part of the White Paper proposals seeking to boost funding for gambling research, education and treatment (RET) and is expected to replace the current system based on voluntary donations.

NHS England’s National Clinical Advisor on Gambling Harms, Prof. Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE, outlined in her comments the statutory levy’s “potential to finally ensure the independence of funding for treatment and research programs, as well as for prevention initiatives to address gambling harm.”

“It must be implemented without delay in order for fully integrated treatment pathways to be established,” Bowden-Jones said, emphasizing the NHS commitment to continue the long-standing collaboration with GambleAware throughout the interim period “to ensure that all patients in need of gambling treatment are accessing the service that they need.”

Besides the recognition of the constructive relationship with GambleAware, Bowden-Jones expressed the body’s “commitment to working with non-statutory providers of gambling treatment across the country,” noting that NHS England does not seek to be the only provider of gambling treatment on a national level.

Key to Delivering Efficient Service

GambleAware’s chief executive officer, Zoë Osmond, welcomed the statement from the NHS, seeing it as a confirmation of the long-standing and constructive collaboration between the two bodies.

“In our role as leading charity and strategic commissioner, partnership with those across the healthcare sector is vital,” Osmond said, looking forward to continuing work with the NHS to “ensure people are able to seamlessly access the services they need.”

Osmond also pointed to the charity’s collaborations with DCMS, DHSC, OHID, and the Gambling Commission and the key role these relationships play in helping GambleAware deliver “efficient and effective service” through the National Gambling Support Network.

“We welcome the introduction of a statutory levy on the industry to provide certainty and stability of funding, which will allow us and others to make long-term commitments to meet the needs of the population,” she concluded.

The joint statement represents a change of tone about the White Paper proposals that were subjected to stern criticism by public health specialists and anti-gambling advocates upon the document’s release.

GambleAware also joined the choir of critics, alongside GamCare and Gordon Moody, in sharing their concerns over rising addiction rates in the country.

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Daily Mail and Daily Express reported that the UK Government is planning to introduce a new levy on gambling companies to fund treatment programs for those addicted to gambling, with the proceeds being directed toward the National Health Service (NHS). 

Proposed New Levy to Prevent Firms from Exploiting Loopholes in Gambling Contributions

The proposed new levy is designed to create a standardized payment to prevent firms from exploiting loopholes to avoid making sufficient contributions. The Gambling Commission will be responsible for launching a consultation to decide how the levy should be tailored to different firms’ profits and revenues. This move comes following a record GBP19.2 million ($23.6 million) fine that was recently imposed on William Hill by the industry watchdog for failing to prevent customers from accruing unpayable debts. 

The NHS will not accept voluntary donations from gambling firms because it considers them a conflict of interest. The UK Government is expected to publish a gambling white paper soon, the most comprehensive review of betting laws in over 15 years, with the aim of ensuring that current regulations are fit for the digital age. 

The government wants to allow people the freedom to gamble responsibly while preventing harmful and addictive gambling, and it believes that a new levy will be a vital tool in achieving this aim. The levy will create long-term, reliable funding for treatment services, as many researchers do not accept voluntary funding from the gambling industry due to concerns over the independence of the research. 

Betting and Gaming Council Defends Gambling Industry Amidst Proposed Levy

The proposed levy could face opposition from some quarters, however. Reports suggest that Rishi Sunak, the current UK Prime Minister and former Chancellor, was previously against the idea of a levy. The suggestion is that he saw it as a new “nanny state” tax on business, and was concerned that it would harm the racing industry, given the existence of the Catterick racecourse in his constituency. There are also questions about whether the National Lottery will have to make similar contributions. 

The Betting and Gaming Council, which represents gambling firms, has said that the majority of people who gamble do so safely and responsibly and that the rate of problem gambling is very low, at just 0.2% of adults. The industry has committed to investing GBP100 million ($123 million) to tackle gambling-related harm, as well as making donations of GBP110 million ($135.4 million).

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