The UK government has confirmed the roll-out of a statutory levy to fund gambling harm research, prevention and treatment work.
It will be charged to all Gambling Commission licensees and will guarantee “increased, ringfenced and consistent funding,” Labour said.
Operators will be charged between 0.1 per cent and 1.1 per cent of their previous year’s gross gambling yield or equivalent, depending on the sector.
Funding from the levy, which aims to generate £100m, will be distributed to the NHS and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the umbrella body for research councils, by the Gambling Commission.
The government will offer “strategic direction” on the distribution of funds, with the gambling industry set to have “no say” on how money is spent.
“The introduction of the first legally mandated levy will be instrumental in supporting research, raising awareness and reducing the stigma around gambling-related harm,” said gambling minister Baroness Twycross.
Online operators and softtware licensees, excluding remote betting intermediary trading rooms, society lotteries with remote licences and External Lottery Managers, will pay 1.1 per cent of their GGY towards the levy – the most of any group.
Land-based casino and betting licensees will pay 0.5 per cent of their GGY while on-course bookmakers, adult gaming centres and land-based bingo halls will all pay 0.2 per cent.
Family entertainment centres, pool betting licences and machine technical licences will all pay 0.1 per cent of their GGY towards the levy.
Fifty per cent of the funding will be directed to NHS England and the equivalents in Scotland and Wales.
A further 30 per cent will go towards investment including on national public health campaigns and training for frontline staff.
The remaining 20 per cent of funding will be directed to UKRI and the Gambling Commission to develop bespoke Research Programmes on Gambling.
The government will “formally review” the statutory levy system within five years, with the first review expected by 2030, it said.
Plans for a statutory levy were developed by the previous Conservative government, as part of its white paper on gambling reform, but have been adopted and now enacted by Labour.
The same can be said for online slot stake limits, which Labour has confirmed.
They will be set at £5 for over 25s and £2 for young adults aged between 18 and 24, as outlined under the Conservatives.
Grainne Hurst, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), said: “The BGC supported plans outlined in the white paper published last year to reform stake limits and introduce a mandatory levy to fund research, prevention and treatment.
“BGC members voluntarily contributed over £170m over the last four years to tackle problem gambling and gambling related harm, including £50m this year alone, funding an independent network of charities currently caring for 85 per cent of all problem gamblers receiving treatment in Britain.
“Ministers must not lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of the 22.5 million people who enjoy a bet each month, on the lottery, in bookmakers, casinos, bingo halls and online, do so safely, while the most recent NHS Health Survey for England estimated that just 0.4 per cent of the adult population are problem gamblers.
“The tone of this announcement suggests government is at risk of losing perspective of these facts, while simply dancing to the tune of anti-gambling prohibitionists, which serves no one.”
