GambleAware’s independence from the betting industry

Independence is an important factor when it comes to public health services, a point McCartney raises in her commentary on gambling harm.1 For GambleAware—a charity whose funding set-up was designed by government—proposals to introduce a statutory levy on gambling companies outlined in the recent gambling white paper2 are a welcome and overdue change.Unlike treatment services for alcohol and drug misuse, there is no public funding for gambling harms services. A statutory levy will support the development of a transparent and long term funding model, with a consultation to be opened in the coming months for stakeholder feedback. It is hoped that the updated funding model will fully recognise the need for a cross-government approach at national and local levels. While the NHS made a commitment to open and fund specialist gambling clinics in its long term plan, GambleAware continues to work alongside it.3 The national clinical adviser on gambling harms…
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