Summary:
- GambleAware received £317.1 million in total RET donations from April to June 2023
- That translates to a drop of 9% from the same period in the previous fiscal year
- The Big Four operators are not on the list but are expected to donate later this year
GambleAware received £317.1 million in donations from gambling operators in the first quarter of fiscal year 2023/24 to help fund gambling research, education, and treatment (RET) programs. That figure represents a 9% drop on the same quarter in 2022/23.
The independent charity strongly supports the introduction of a mandatory levy to ensure adequate and sustainable funding for RET initiatives. The measure is included in the Gambling Act Review White Paper and will be subject for consultation before its full implementation.
GambleAware Publishes Latest List of RET Donors
GambleAware releases a report on the donations and pledges from the UK gambling industry on a quarterly basis. The independent charity compiles a list of operators making contributions for the relevant quarter along with the corresponding donation amounts. The report also includes non-RET donations.
From April 1 to June 30, 2023, GambleAware received £317.1 million in RET donations and £113.7 in non-RET contributions, bringing the total to £430.9 million.
Betting giant Betfred tops the list of RET donors with £50,000, followed by Games Global Operations Ltd (£35,000), Star Racing (£28,916), Betway (£25,000), Virgin Bet (£22,836) and the Postcode Lottery (£18,708).
Other operators with five-figure donations for the first quarter of the 2023/24 fiscal year include LiveScore Betting and Gaming Ltd (£15,574), InTouch Games Ltd (£14,100) and Castle Leisure Ltd (£14,000).
Notably, the “Big Four” operators – Flutter Entertainment, Entain, William Hill and bet365 are absent from the latest list of RET donors. But GambleAware explained that it is common practice among bigger firms to donate towards the end of the fiscal year after evaluating their gross gaming yield (GGY).
That means the four major operators are likely to make their RET contributions later this year. For the past fiscal year, 92% of total industry RET donations, or £42.9 million, came from the Big Four.
Mandatory RET Levy Set to Replace Voluntary System
RET funding is currently collected under a voluntary system whereby operators with revenue of more than £250,000 allocate 0.1% of GGY to RET programs. Those earning below the limit donate at least £250. This system is set to be replaced by a mandatory levy which is backed by GambleAware. The measure will help resolve what the charity has described as a “disparity” in RET funding commitments between big and small operators.
The statutory levy will be part of future White Paper-related consultations to be launched by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). The regulator opened the first tranche of consultations focusing on six key areas on July 26.
