“Members of the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) have pledged to pay up 100 million pounds over four years to fund research, education and treatment (RET) services to help prevent gambling-related harm and tackle problem gambling, which is paid for through a unique voluntary levy system. They have gone further and will have donated £110 million by March 2024, helping to protect the vital work of third sector RET providers.” This can be read in a statement from the Betting and Gaming Council which continues:
“The current voluntary levy funds an independent network of charities that treat around 85% of all problem gamblers receiving treatment in Britain. RET donations only go to charities accredited by the Gambling Commission and BGC members have no say in how the funds are spent.
The BGC supports a new compulsory levy, in fact we proposed it to the government before the White Paper. Our industry has been the primary funder of RET for over 20 years. However, we believe it should apply to all operators, including the National Lottery, without prejudice to good causes, who are not immune to problem gamblers gambling on their products such as scratch cards and instant win games.
It must also be applied on a sliding scale, with smaller percentage contributions from land-based operators, including independent betting shops on our high streets which have struggled to recover after the pandemic and bear disproportionately higher fixed costs.
There must also be adequate oversight to ensure that levy funds are only distributed to charities and organizations providing genuine RET services to ensure long-term sustainable funding, including the protection of existing third sector providers who are already carrying out vital work and which may now be at risk."
