GambleAware to Raise its Annual Spending to £16 Million
Problem gambling charity, GambleAware, has announced that it will double its annual budget in an increased effort to fight gambling related harms in the UK.
The charity revealed the increased spending figure as part of its new Strategic Delivery Plan for 2018-2020. This Plan is part of a review of the GambleAware 5-year Strategy 2016-2021 that the charity pledged to undertake on an annual basis to ensure that the Strategy is still relevant.
According to GambleAware, the funding will be split into three areas: research and evaluation, education and treatment. In order to actualise the increased amount of activity that the funding will produce, the charity will be taking on a number of new collaborations across England, Scotland and Wales throughout August.
The organisations working in partnership with GambleAware will be responsible for carrying out a number of new initiatives that share a focus on the organisation’s objective to reduce harm from gambling.
These initiatives include the development of what GambleAware calls a ‘knowledge hub’, which is an online resource full of information, eLearning and digital guides for educators to use when teaching young audiences about gambling.
The money will also reportedly go towards extending the access for multi-disciplinary campaigns outside of London, to ensure that those with severe or complex needs also have the ability to get the right type of help.
With only 2% of problem gamblers receiving treatment, it is clear more needs to be done to make sure people are able to receive the help and support they need. – Marc Etches, GambleAware CEO
The collaborative partnerships will also work to develop education initiatives and campaigns with a narrower focus, targeting the public, operators, social media outlets, sports teams and third-party groups.
Statistics from the UK Gambling Commission ©GambleAware
Etches continues: “The industry has consistently failed to meet its funding target of £10 million, and it will need to step-up its contributions in the absence of state involvement, to ensure we are able to deliver this necessary expansion of services in future without relying on what are, in effect, fines for bad behaviour.
“We all have a responsibility to try and help those who may be struggling with a gambling addiction. We look forward to seeing the industry, broadcasters, advertisers and sports groups do their part to help prevent gambling related harm and work to raise awareness of the help and advice that is available at BeGambleAware.org.”
The report also detailed some interesting statistics from the UK Gambling Commission about gambling in the UK, which said that 63% of the UK population have gambled in the past year, 18% of which was online and 29% of which was on mobile. Kate Lampard, Chair of the Board of Trustees, said that “the goal is to close the gap between the number of those getting treatment and those who need it by increasing the range, quality and quantity of early interventions and treatment, and by preventing people from getting into difficulty in the first place.”
