GambleAware to name and shame non-contributors
Responsible gambling charity to introduce new transparency measures in bid to reach £10m contribution target
GambleAware has announced plans to name and shame non-contributing companies in an effort to continue to grow its voluntary donations.
The charity announced yesterday it received a record high £9.4m in voluntary donations from the gambling industry last year, up 16% annually to just £400k shy of the £10m minimum.
However, in a new change for 2018, GambleAware will be asking all gambling companies to self-certify whether they have donated the recommended 0.1% of gross gaming revenue.
Details of donations will then be published on the GambleAware website in a bid to improve transparency and encourage further donations .
“In order to raise our target, we ask all those who profit from the gambling industry in Britain to donate a minimum of 0.1% of their annual Gross Gambling Yield,” said GambleAware in a statement.
“We do not seek to restrict what funds may be distributed over and beyond this threshold but consider that any donation made to other safer gambling initiatives or organisations should be additional to the recommended contribution of 0.1% of your GGY to GambleAware.”
GambleAware CEO Marc Etches had previously been critical of the sector, with the charity falling £5m short of its £13m funding target in 2016.
He said at the time: “This significant shortfall in funding shows that the industry is not doing its duty in protecting and supporting the 430,000 problem gamblers in the country.”
The shortfall has prompted calls for a statutory levy for responsible gambling, but the latest figures show that operators appear to have taken the warning on board.
“Last October we made very public our concerns regarding the industry’s funding of GambleAware,” said Etches.
“Six months later, it is only fair that, just as publicly, we acknowledge and thank all those in the industry who have helped us to achieve a record-breaking £9.4 million in voluntary donations.
“Although the total was less than the minimum target of £10 million, which is expected to increase significantly, the industry’s response has been encouraging,” he added.
Gambling consultant Steve Donoughue told EGR in January: “Industry trade associations should at least be naming and shaming those who have failed to pay donations as their inaction is currently tarring everyone with the same brush.”