GambleAware funding jumps by £9m as ‘big four’ donation pledge pays off
Bet365, Flutter, Entain and William Hill contribute more than 80% of voluntary donations in 2020
GambleAware has confirmed a £9m uptick in voluntary donations from UK-licensed gambling operators during the last financial year as donations reached £19m in 2020.
Donations to the charity increased by 90% year-on-year, building on 2019’s total of £10.05m.
A pledge by Entain, William Hill, Flutter and bet365 to donate £100m to GambleAware over the next five years was a key factor behind the increase.
Donations made by the so-called big four up to 31 March totalled £15.4m – more than 80% of total.
Flutter donated the largest amount at £9.3m, although this included voluntary contributions from each of its sub-brands, including Paddy Power Betfair, Sky Bet and The Stars Group.
Entain donated £4.3m to GambleAware during the period, while William Hill and bet365 donated £1.4m and £763,000 respectively.
In addition to funding generated by voluntary donations, GambleAware received £8.8m in regulatory settlements from the UK Gambling Commission in cases involving William Hill and Betway.
GambleAware has also published a list of companies that supported its Safer Gambling Campaign, Bet Regret, throughout its second year in 2020.
The amount donated came to £3.9m and was topped up by media donations from broadcasters.
In addition, GambleAware received £126,655 in dormant account monies and unclaimed winnings from several UK-licensed operators including LeoVegas and BetVictor.
Addressing the increase in funding, GambleAware CEO Zoë Osmond said: “This growth in donations is the largest we’ve seen year-on-year driven largely as a result of the commitment by the “Big Four”.
“This will enable us to continue and expand our work to ensure evidence-informed services are developed according to need within a robust and accountable system.
“We will shortly be releasing our commissioning strategy which will detail how we plan to use this increased funding to help keep people safe from gambling harms.
“With these donations, we will continue to fund and improve the National Gambling Treatment Service to provide support for those who need it, while working in partnership with many other organisations to increase awareness of support available,” Osmond added.