On Tuesday the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced the provisional allocation of £25.4 million to support gambling-harms prevention and resilience initiatives over the two-year period from 2026 to 2028.
The new list follows the introduction of the statutory levy, which replaced the voluntary levy in April last year. Funding from the levy will see 33 voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations across England receive funding to support research and prevention actions.
The levy has reported almost £120 million in raised funds so far.
A DHSC statement said the funds would sustain and expand prevention activities delivered by third-sector organisations. It also intends to build their capacity for sustained project delivery.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), took over responsibility for overseeing the distribution of statutory levy funding, and has emphasised that allocations were made following a closed application window held from January to February 2026.
The decisions adhered strictly to published eligibility and scoring criteria and were subject to due-diligence checks.
The OHID required all applicants to declare any conflicts of interest and commit to halting direct industry funding. This excluded National Lottery and social lotteries.
Applicants were also told to review their previously used materials and methodologies that had received funding through bodies like GambleAware, under the voluntary levy.
GamCare among charities to receive funding
The provisional list published includes a range of organisations, from established national gambling-harm charities and educational trusts to local advice agencies and smaller community groups.
Notable provisional allocations include:
- GamCare: £4.04 million.
- Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM): £3.0 million.
- Betknowmore: £2.99 million.
- BetBlocker: £1.12 million.
- Various Citizens Advice bureaux and regional VCSE organisations receiving between approximately £140,000 and £1.3 million.
GamCare’s award is the largest provisionally allocated grant. The charity, which founded the National Gambling Helpline, recently reported that student gamblers were losing £50 per week.
According to the department, the grants are intended to support “equitable and innovative prevention strategies”. This will be while strengthening VCSE organisations’ ability to run sustainable projects.
£12 million to upper-tier local authorities
OHID highlighted that these allocations remained provisional and were pending finalisation through grant agreements. Recipient names and amounts might be subject to change.
Alongside this £25.4 million fund, the department revealed a separate £12 million distribution from the statutory levy to support upper-tier local authorities for the 2026-27 financial year.
These local authority funds were intended to support gambling-harm prevention and reduction initiatives at a community level. NHS England has administered an independent VCSE grant aimed at treatment services.
The funding’s requirement for successful applicants to stop receiving direct industry funding from April 2026 aims to alleviate such concerns. Organisations must still complete final grant agreements before awards are confirmed.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/sustainable-gambling/uk-government-allocates-25-4-million-to-gambling-harm-prevention-organisations/
