Bet365, Rank Group and Betway top list of GambleAware donations in Q2

Bet365 has topped the list of operator donations to gambling-related harm charity GambleAware, donating £868,000 during the second quarter of 2019.

Rank Group was the second biggest contributor to GambleAware during the period, contributing £284,450 through its Grosvenor and Mecca businesses.

Sports betting operator Betway rounded out the top three donations during Q2, donating £153,500 to the charity. LeoVegas donated £91,761 to the charity during Q2 2019.

Betfred and Kindred’s 32Red donated £30,000 and £23,750 respectively to the charity.

Under current rules, operators are asked to donate annually a minimum of 0.1% of their annual Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) directly to GambleAware. Operators are however free to pledge donations in excess of this amount on a voluntary basis.

Of these pledges, GVC holdings and William Hill were the largest, with GambleAware receiving pledges of £1.4m and £1m respectively from the two UK operators.

Rank Group followed up its donations with its own separate pledge of £241,500 during Q2, with the money coming from both its Grosvenor and Mecca businesses.

Sports betting firm BetVictor made a £160,000 pledge to GambleAware during Q2, while Playtech pledged £100,000 to the charity during the period.

GambleAware received a total of £1.29m in regulatory settlements from the UK Gambling Commission during the period, paid from fines levied against LeoVegas and Gamesys.

Marc Etches, GambleAware CEO, highlighted the importance of voluntary donations and pledges in assisting in the delivery of the new National Gambling Treatment Service across the UK.

“With over £40 million of grant funding under active management and aspirations to significantly improve awareness and accessibility of existing services, as well as increasing treatment capacity, it is vital that GambleAware continues to have the support of the British gambling industry,” Etches added.