The British government is attempting to ease the burden for gambling harm charities sector amidst the transition to a new, and sometimes controversial, funding model.
According to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which oversees UK gambling, the statutory research, education and treatment (RET) levy has raised just under £120m in its first year of existence.
This hefty sum will be ringfenced for research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm. The transition period between the old and new funding models has presented challenges for some charities, however.
To help remedy this, the DCMS has prepared a three-month transition grant fund. The grant will be available to UK gambling harm charities between 1 April-1 June 2026, though in cases where DCMS makes a decision after 1 April charities will be able to backdate claims.
Charities will have to meet specific eligibility criteria to secure a grant.
Organisations need to have been delivering ‘relevant activity’ in March 2026 to support service users in England and must have previously bid for and been ejected from funding from the gambling levy via the Gambling Harms Prevention VCSE Grant Fund and/or the Gambling Harms Treatment VCSE Grant Fund.
The grant is being made to cover any staffing and related on-costs for the continuation of charity services. Capital expenditure, defined as any spending that leads to the creation of improvement of an asset worth more than £2,000, is excluded.
Organisations have until 30 April 2026 to apply for the grant.
Charities turn a controversial corner
The levy was a flagship measure of the Gambling Act review, replacing the previous system whereby operators voluntarily donated 1% of their revenues to GambleAware. The charity would subsequently commission RET projects across the country.
Statutory levy invoices were first issued by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) on 1 September 2025, with a payment deadline of 1 October 2025. The levy is now an annual requirement for licensed operators, with invoices issued 1 September each year.
Its implementation has not gone by without controversy, however, and various charities have voiced concerns about the future sustainability of the UK gambling harm research, education and treatment system under the new funding framework.
NHS England, which is being dismantled, has taken on responsibility for treatment funding, The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) will oversee prevention, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will take on research.
GambleAware closed its doors earlier this month due to its commissioning functions having been effectively taken over by the NHS. The charity had long called for the creation of a statutory levy – but with itself maintaining the commissioning lead.
Various charity organisations expressed alarm at the changes when the Gambling Act review White Paper was published in April 2023, and have continued to do so.
The Gambling Lived Experience Network (GLEN), for example, expressed some frustrations on LinkedIn just last week – though the organisation did have some praise for OHID, describing it as performing much better than NHS England and UKRI.
No turning back?
Regardless of charities’ opinions, it seems that the statutory levy is here to stay. Even if the government were to change its mind, such a massive undertaking would take some time to pull off.
Commissioning measures are also well underway. In Scotland, the devolved government has begun divvying up its £7.9m share of the UK-wide gambling levy. The funds will be split between the NHS, local authority partners and the third sector – the latter being the charities.
Scotland’s Public Health Minister, Jenni Minto, said: “Gambling harm is a significant issue for too many people in Scotland who are living with it. It affects not only people who gamble but also their families, relationships, communities and wider society.
“We are already working hard with partners on reducing this and these awards are a major step forward. This funding will help support a range of projects and programmes for people dealing with what is often a hidden issue.
“Data shows that over two per cent of Scottish adults – over 90,000 people – could be problem gamblers. The funding provides a balance across the third sector, including the community and voluntary sector, and services provided through the NHS and local authorities.”
The largest recipients are the RCA Trust (£1m), Public Health Scotland (£967,000), NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (£926,000), Fast Forward (£561,000), Citizens Advice Scotland (£450,000) and Simon Community Scotland (£445,000).
Other recipients are Gambling With Lives (£124,000), Charity Space Scotland (£47,000), Scottish Ambulance Service (£45,000), Young Scot (£30,000) and Dundee and Angus College (£52,000).
The largest recipient, the RCA Trust, is a counselling service for people suffering with gambling-related harm and other conditions like drug and alcohol abuse. Andy Todd, a spokesperson for the charity, said:
“The funding provided by the Scottish Government will be fundamental in the continued delivery of prevention, education, training, treatment and support for those affected by gambling harms across Scotland.
“With gambling harms now being seen through a public health model, we look forward to working with partners to reduce harms by expanding service provision, reducing stigma and working with the voices of lived experience to embed policy and practice across frontline staff.”
The distribution of gambling harm treatment funding in Scotland comes nine months after the Welsh government announced how its share of the RET levy funds would be distributed. There is still no confirmation as to how funds will be spent in England, however.
Overall, the government expects to raise between £90m-£100m per year from the levy, and according to DCMS this target has been beaten in its first year – and yet there is still no indication on how the funds will be spent in the UK’s largest nation.