GambleAware has released its first five-year organizational strategy as the charity aims to crack down on risky gambling in the UK.
The new strategy is based on four main areas: increasing awareness and understanding of the harms associated with gambling, expanding access to treatment services, building capacity and improving the National Gambling Treatment Service (NGTS).
GambleAware cited pledges from the so-called big four gambling operators (bet365, Flutter, William Hill, Entain) to donate £100m to GambleAware over the next five years as a key factor in implementing the new strategy.
"The gambling industry's long-term financial commitment has allowed GambleAware to focus not only on grants and service procurement, but also on investments in gambling harm prevention in the long term," the charity explained.
GambleAware said the increased investment will be based on a public health approach that includes three levels of harm prevention: universal, selective and targeted, all three levels addressing identified treatment delivery gaps.
GambleAware's new five-year strategy includes more than 40 programs in RET areas, including improving NGTS, establishing local centers, training programs, research, and a targeted gambling-related harm prevention campaign targeting women and minority communities.
“In five years, the charitable foundation expects that the successful implementation of this strategy will ensure the achievement of these goals.
“Ultimately, this will mean that fewer people experience the harm of gambling, and those who do receive timely and effective support. The goal is for these changes to persist beyond the five-year lifespan of this strategy,” added GambleAware.
Earlier this month, the charity reported a £9m increase in voluntary contributions in 2020, with donations reaching a record £19m over the past 12 months.
Flutter donated the largest amount of £9.3 million although this included voluntary contributions from its sub-brands including Paddy Power Betfair, Sky Bet and The Stars Group.
Entain donated £4.3m to GambleAware during this period, while William Hill and bet365 donated £1.4m and £763,000 respectively.
Reflecting on the new five-year strategy, GambleAware CEO Zoë Osmond said: “With greater funding certainty, we are now able to develop and execute long-term commissioning plans to work for the benefit of a society where fewer people are affected by the game and ensure that those who really gets timely and effective support.
“Over the next five years, we will work to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of the National Gambling Treatment Service and ensure that it is recognized as a strong coalition of treatment services and prevention efforts in partnership with the NHS and others.
“By 2026, we hope to make significant progress towards realizing our vision, but we also want to ensure that these programs continue beyond the five-year life of this strategy,” she added.
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