Charity Commission closes GambleAware case “without criticism”
Non-ministerial department’s inquiry found no evidence of wrongdoing, confirming that GambleAware maintains sufficient distance from the gambling industry to be independent
The Charity Commission has dropped its case against GambleAware after launching a statutory inquiry into the prominent gambling charity.
However, GambleAware CEO Zoe Osmond confirmed today, 22 July, that the Charity Commission has closed the case “without criticism, or findings against, the organisation”.
The initial complaint was lodged by the Good Law Project back in March of this year on behalf of two gambling reformists.
PHD student Annie Ashton and Will Prochaska, head of the Coalition Against Gambling Ads, had accused GambleAware, which is funded by operators, of being too close to the industry and “too one-sided to be properly charitable”.
GambleAware received voluntary donations totalling £49.5m for fiscal year 2023-24, of which £46.6m was donated by Britain’s four largest gambling companies, an increase of £3.1m from the previous financial year.
The charity also received a total of £33.5m from regulatory settlement funds operators made with the Gambling Commission.
Meanwhile, GambleAware is set to eventually receive 1% of operators’ gross gambling yield as part of plans to impose a statutory levy on licensed firms to fund gambling harm prevention and treatment.
Osmond, who was always confident that the complaint wouldn’t be upheld due to it referencing outdated information, told EGR in March that the allegations were “baseless and highly damaging”.
On the back of the announcement that the case had been dropped, Osmond praised the non-ministerial department for recognising the work that GambleAware does.
She said: “The regulator has stated unequivocally that they are ‘assured that the trustees have taken appropriate steps to both ensure its [GambleAware’s] independence from the gambling industry and to address reputational risks arising from its current funding model’.
“Importantly, the Commission has also stated it is ‘satisfied that the charity’s reliance on industry funding does not impact on decision-making about its activities’.
“We were pleased to see the Commission acknowledge our robust policies and governance processes as well as the important role our Lived Experience Council plays in providing advice and direction to our activities, among others.”
Osmond concluded: “Gambling harms have a devastating impact on individuals, families and communities.
“GambleAware is wholly dedicated to advancing our charitable purposes for the public benefit, which is why we have long called for the introduction of a statutory levy on the gambling industry to provide long-term sustainable funding for the treatment, support and prevention of gambling harms.”
GambleAware recently named Professor Siân Griffiths CBE as its new chair of trustees, replacing the departing Baroness Lampard CBE.