GambleAware Receives Record £49.5M in Donations for 2023-24

GambleAware has received a record £49.5 million in donations for the year 2023-24.

GambleAware received £49.5 million in donations for the financial year 2023-24, which is £3.1 million more than the previous year. The money supports public health campaigns, education and training, harm prevention tools, treatment, and research.

Major Contributors

The majority of the money came from the biggest gambling companies in the UK. Here are the top four donors:

• Flutter: £18.0 million
• Entain: £16.8 million
• Bet365 (Hillside): £5.8 million
• William Hill: £6.0 million

The operators promised to gradually raise their donations to 1% of their total gambling revenues over four years. They hit this 1% goal in the 2023-24 period.

Uncertainty Over Future Funding

GambleAware is worried about funding for the 2024-25 financial year because of a switch to a required levy. This change was mentioned in a white paper last year. CEO Zoë Osmond asked for this switch to cause as little disruption as possible to keep funding steady.

Additional Donations

Important donations in 2023-24 were:

• Camelot UK Lotteries (Allwyn): £451,800
• Betfred (Petre, Gibraltar): £215,595
• Les Ambassadeurs: £258,174
• Virgin Bet: £123,967
• Talarius: £103,619
• BetVictor: £154,871
• LiveScore Betting and Gaming: £106,158
• Luxury Leisure: £110,263

The Gambling Commission used £33.5 million from fines. Additionally, they received £241,613 from unclaimed winnings and inactive accounts from brands such as 888, BetVictor, and Betfred.

Response to Criticism

GambleAware has been criticized by the Good Law Project for not providing enough education on the dangers of gambling. CEO Zoë Osmond responded by saying she believes the complaint will not be accepted. The Charity Commission is still reviewing the matter.

GambleAware is still working on preventing gambling harm, teaching about it, treating it, and researching it, even though it faces challenges and criticisms. The record donations for 2023-24 will help support these efforts.