GambleAware has published the list of donations and pledges received in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2023/24 (1 April to 30 June 2023).
During the first quarter, the charity received £430,813.59 in total, including £317,099.59 in Research, Education and Treatment (RET) contributions from gambling operators. The charity also received £113,714.00 in non-RET donations, which are funds from unclaimed winnings or dormant betting accounts.
The current voluntary funding system, which was set up by Government, requires all those who profit from gambling to donate to research, education and treatment (RET). The recent Gambling White Paper announced plans to implement a statutory levy on the gambling industry, a move which GambleAware wholeheartedly supports.
In the interim until a levy is introduced, operators continue to be encouraged to donate a minimum of 0.1% of their annual Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) to GambleAware each year; and those with an annual GGY of less than £250,000 to donate a minimum of £250. The Big Four gambling operators have committed to increase their donations from 0.1% to 1% of gross gambling yield each by 2024. In order to be transparent in the context of its current voluntary funding arrangements, GambleAware publishes details of those donations and pledges received every quarter.
The average donation in the quarter was £2,757.38, and compared to the same period last fiscal year, there has been a 9% drop in RET contributions. There have been no donations in the first quarter of 2023/24 from any of the largest gambling operators. However, this follows the pattern of previous years in which the larger operators assess and pay RET contributions towards the end of the fiscal year following an assessment of their annual GGY.
