Minister for Museums, Heritage and Gambling (): The statutory levy on
gambling operators, which commenced in April 2025, represents a
major transformation. The levy will provide, for the first time,
independent and sustainable funding for gambling-related harms
research, prevention and treatment.
Subject to final checks, this year the statutory levy has raised
just under £120 million, which will be ringfenced solely for the
use of tackling gambling-related harm. This will support our
priority of making sure there is sufficient and sustainable
funding in the system for projects and services and to fill the
gaps that we know exist in the evidence base and provision of
treatment and support. The funding will improve and expand
services to new areas, to ensure more people can access the right
help when they need it.
In line with the objectives of the statutory levy, funding will
be directed in specific proportions for the purposes of research,
prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm:
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20% will go to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for the
establishment of a bespoke Research Programme on Gambling.
The levy will provide a dedicated and sustainable injection
of funding for independently-commissioned research to inform
policy and practice. We expect the formal launch of the UKRI
Gambling Harms Research Coordination Centre to take place in
April 2026. A small portion of funding will also be allocated
to the Gambling Commission to direct further research in line
with its licensing objectives.
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30% of funding will go to the Office for Health Improvement
and Disparities (OHID) and Scottish and Welsh Governments to
develop a comprehensive approach to the prevention of
gambling-related harm across all three nations of Great
Britain. In England, OHID will prioritise the development of
an independent, public health approach that recognises the
importance of the voluntary sector and local authorities in
delivering effective prevention activity.
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The remaining 50% of funding will go to NHS England and
Scottish and Welsh Governments to work with providers,
including the third sector, to increase access to treatment
and support for those experiencing gambling-related harm.
This will ensure services are joined up and consistent so
that no one is falling through the cracks.
All commissioners are working to establish their respective
gambling harms programmes and structures. In England, it is
expected that applications for voluntary sector organisations to
access levy funding for prevention programmes will open in the
new year, with grant funds being accessible from April 2026 in
line with the conclusion of GambleAware commissioning. The
approach for voluntary sector provision of treatment programmes
will be confirmed shortly. It is a priority for all commissioners
that those affected by gambling-related harm continue to have
access to the help and support they need.
Governance arrangements have been put in place, which will look
objectively at how the levy is working and hold commissioners to
account. The Gambling Levy Programme Board has been established
as the central mechanism for establishment and oversight of the
levy to ensure that funding is being spent appropriately and
efficiently, and that the system is delivering on its objectives.
The Gambling Levy Advisory Group, has now been renamed the
Gambling Levy Delivery Group to reflect its focus on
implementation and delivery. This brings together the research,
prevention and treatment commissioners at a working level,
alongside DCMS and Gambling Commission officials, to facilitate
appropriate integration and collaboration between commissioning
leads.
Funding decisions will be taken by the appropriate bodies, with
scrutiny provided by relevant governance structures. We will also
ensure that lived experience voices are informing levy
programmes, with further details to be confirmed in due course.
Through these governance arrangements, we will continue to review
how much the levy is collecting and the distribution of the levy
as the evidence base for this grows.
