News

Gambling firms to pay £60m to help addicts after missing target

Leading five companies promise to up pay after “deliberately insulting” failure to meet £10m contribution

Gambling

Gambling firms have pledged an extra £60m to help addicts, despite the fact the industry failed to reach a donation target set by a key charity last year.

The owners of William Hill, Ladbrokes Coral, Paddy Power Betfair, Skybet and Bet365 will increase their voluntary levy on gambling profits to one per cent from 0.1 per cent and increase contributions to £60m to help tackle addition.

Leading charity Gamble Aware asks all those who profit from the gambling industry in Britain to donate a minimum of 0.1 per cent of their gambling revenues to reach a target of £10m. But the industry fell short of reaching the donation target last year, giving only £9.6m.

GambleAware chief executive Marc Etches has said the charity welcomes the new initiative and stressed that it is vital that there is sufficient funding to provide support for problem gamblers and those that were at risk.

The industry has repeatedly come under fire over the small amount it spends to help addicts when profits and huge marketing budgets are taken into account. Some gambling firms donated sums like £1 and £5 to Gamble Aware in 2018/19 to ensure they were present on the list of donors.

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson said that there should be a mandatory levy on gambling firms to fix the “broken” industry, calling the amount of money some companies donated “deliberately insulting”. He told the House of Commons: “When we have 430,000 gambling addicts, 55,000 of whom are children, that is completely unacceptable and deliberately insulting to those leading players in the industry who are trying to take responsibility.”

Watson also urged a “full overhaul of the rules and regulations” for the gambling market.

The Gambling Commission estimates that there are 430,000 people with a serious gambling addiction in the UK.

Jeremy Wright, the culture secretary, said that it’s important the gambling industry does all it can to protect customers, but acknowledged a “healthy gambling industry” makes an important contribution to the economy.

He also said that the government reserved the right to implement a mandatory levy if gambling companies didn’t stick to their commitments.

Last week, it was announced that the first NHS gambling clinic for children was to open amid growing concerns that online gaming sites are fuelling a problem among young people. The Gambling Commission say that as many as 55,000 children have a gambling problem, as Watson mentioned.

Image: Heather R/Flickr

Support the Big Issue

For over 30 years, the Big Issue has been committed to ending poverty in the UK. In 2024, our work is needed more than ever. Find out how you can support the Big Issue today.
Vendor martin Hawes

Recommended for you

View all
I started doing crime by age 6. I didn't know any other life – all my birthdays were in prison
Crime

I started doing crime by age 6. I didn't know any other life – all my birthdays were in prison

Local housing allowance is finally going up. But is it anything more than just a short-term fix?
Jeremy Hunt announced local housing allowance rise
Benefits

Local housing allowance is finally going up. But is it anything more than just a short-term fix?

Calls to nationalise Thames Water as Brits face 40% increase in bills: 'A con and a disgrace'
Water bills

Calls to nationalise Thames Water as Brits face 40% increase in bills: 'A con and a disgrace'

Will free school meals and vouchers be offered over the Easter holidays?
Free school meals/ Easter holidays
Free school meals

Will free school meals and vouchers be offered over the Easter holidays?

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know