Levy announcement: GamCare statement and data

Statement:

Mark Weiss, Deputy CEO and Director of Communications and External Affairs at GamCare, commented: “We welcome today’s announcement from the Government on the statutory levy and look forward to working with the NHS, other providers and future commissioners to ensure the success of the new treatment, prevention and research system.

“At GamCare, our priority is making sure that people who need support for gambling harms receive it as quickly and effectively as possible. With a record 55,000 people calling the National Gambling Helpline last year alone, now is the right time for this important clarity on the future system.

“With 27 years’ experience running the National Gambling Helpline, GamCare plays a vital role ensuring people can access gambling harms support when they need it most.

“Just as we welcome this renewed focus on treatment, we recognise the importance of protecting vulnerable people, particularly children, before harms escalate. That’s why we welcome the Government’s emphasis on prevention. Having witnessed a steep rise in our Helpline callers citing difficulties with online slots, GamCare further welcomes the introduction of new youth-focussed stake limits – an important step in preventing future harm.”

Additional new data from GamCare

• Almost half of calls (45%) to the National Gambling Helpline now cite issues with online slot machine games.
• The proportion of calls to the National Gambling Helpline citing issues with online slot machine games has increased by one-third since the pandemic, according to the gambling support charity GamCare.
• The charity found that, of the 6697 callers who disclosed a form of gambling to Advisers on the Helpline in 2023-2024*, 45 per cent cited challenges with gambling on online slot games, a figure which stood at 34 per cent in 2020-2021.