The UK government has provisionally allocated £25.4m (around $34m) to prevention programmes and to build community resilience to the impacts of gambling. The funds are earmarked for 2026–2028 and will come from the statutory levy on gambling operators, which was introduced last year. Since its launch, the mechanism has brought nearly £120m into the Treasury. Alongside the main package, a further £12m from the same source will go to upper-tier local authorities for the 2026/27 financial year.
Why a mandatory industry levy was introduced
The statutory levy became part of a major reform designed to shift the cost of addressing gambling harms from the state budget and charities onto the industry itself. Previously, funding for prevention programmes depended on voluntary contributions from operators, making funding unstable and unpredictable. The move to a mandatory model made it possible to raise substantial funds in a relatively short time and to put funding for organisations working “on the ground” with people affected by gambling addiction on a more structured footing.
This approach is all the more relevant given that rates of gambling addiction are rising in the UK. This problem is typical of many developed countries, including Australia and the US. Much of this is due to the fact that there are more and more people in such countries who play at online casinos. Virtual gambling platforms are permitted and are considered a legal business, so the player is protected by UK laws in the same way as when playing at land-based gambling venues.
The growth in the number of players is also reflected in statistics, including figures we found here: nodepositau.com – on a site reviewing free spins at Australian online casinos. The site’s authors point to rising traffic, which indicates a high level of interest in the topic of free spins at online casinos, and therefore in the platforms themselves. Against the backdrop of growing interest in gambling, the number of people with gambling problems is also rising. This is an important issue that requires substantial funding to address.
Nearly £120m collected in less than two years gives a sense of the scale of the UK gambling market and the volume of resources the state intends to redirect towards reducing social harm.
33 organisations across England are set to receive funding
Grants are planned for 33 organisations from the VCSE sector (voluntary, community and social enterprise). The future recipients include a wide range of bodies:
- national charities,
- education trusts,
- local advice agencies,
- small regional community groups.
Such a diverse mix reflects the government’s desire to address the problem at different levels, from large networked programmes to targeted work in specific areas.
Who will receive the most
GamCare tops the list with £4.04m in provisional allocations. Second and third place went to the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) with £3.00m and Betknowmore with £2.99m. Next is BetBlocker, set to receive £1.12m. Citizens Advice and various regional organisations will receive amounts ranging from £0.14m to £1.30m.
A closed application window and strict due diligence
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) is responsible for allocating the statutory levy funds. Applications were accepted during a closed application window earlier this year, and the assessment was carried out using published eligibility and scoring criteria. Each organisation underwent due diligence checks, which, according to the regulator’s intent, should ensure transparency and accountability.
Strict conditions have been set for grant recipients. Organisations must declare any conflicts of interest and stop accepting direct funding from the gambling industry. The only exception is for funds from the National Lottery and society lotteries. In addition, applicants were required to review materials and approaches that were previously supported through the previous voluntary funding system, including through GambleAware.
Equitable strategies and sustainable projects
According to the department’s wording, the grants are intended to support “equitable and innovative prevention strategies” and strengthen the ability of VCSE-sector organisations to deliver sustainable, long-term projects. The emphasis on the word “equitable” reflects a course aimed at ensuring that resources reach the most vulnerable groups, rather than being concentrated in a handful of large organisations.
Alongside the main package, £12m from the statutory levy will be transferred to upper-tier local authorities for the 2026/27 financial year. These funds are aimed at prevention and harm reduction directly at community level.
Separately, NHS England administers a separate, independent grant for VCSE organisations focused not on prevention but on the treatment of gambling addiction. In this way, the programmes cover the full continuum: from preventing the problem to medical care.
All figures are provisional
All published amounts and the list of recipients are provisional. Final allocations are subject to the signing of final grant agreements, meaning that both the set of organisations and the funding amounts may change.
