UK Government Allocates £39.7m in Gambling Harm Funding

The UK Government’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has provisionally allocated £39.7m to 40 organisations through the statutory levy fund for gambling harm.

Among the recipients are blocking software provider Gamban, which has been awarded £2.7m, and charity Gambling with Lives, which will receive £1.88m.

The statutory levy is expected to raise £100m from the gambling industry, with funding divided between three areas: research, prevention and treatment. Research will receive 20% of the total, prevention 30% and treatment 50%.

OHID, which operates under the Department of Health and Social Care, is responsible for managing the funding. The provisional awards cover the period from 2026 to 2028.

£12m Allocated to Local Councils

Separately, the government is distributing £12m to upper-tier local authorities for the 2026–27 financial year through the prevention strand of the statutory levy.

The funding is being allocated through the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector fund and is intended to support organisations delivering gambling harm prevention initiatives.

The government said the investment would help “sustain and strengthen the VCSE sector to deliver equitable and innovative prevention strategies” while building capacity for effective and sustainable project delivery.

It is also intended to support the development of an “independent, evidence-based approach to public health policy decision making”.

“Insights from this round of VCSE funding will help shape future approaches,” the government said.

GamCare Expands Support Across Scotland

The latest allocations follow a series of developments in gambling harm support services across the UK.

In August, GamCare announced the expansion of its gambling harm support and treatment services across Scotland’s Highlands and Northern Isles.

The rollout was supported by £4m in funding awarded to the organisation by the Scottish Government through the statutory levy.