Five leading betting firms commit £60 million to help tackle problem gambling

Five of Britain's leading betting companies on Tuesday agreed to make a £60 million contribution to tackling problem gambling by increasing their voluntary payment of gross profits from 0.1 per cent to one per cent over the next five years.

The five firms – bet365, Flutter (Paddy Power Betfair), GVC (Ladbrokes and Coral), Sky Betting and Gaming and William Hill –have also committed to spending a cumulative £100m on treatment over the next four years, helping to fund increased provision of counselling and other support services.

The companies will work with a range of organisations, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the NHS, to decide how the additional funds should be deployed. And a key priority will be to quadruple the numbers of those accessing treatment from 2.5 per cent to 10 per cent.

An agreement has also been reached to increase safer gambling messages in advertising, support dedicated campaigns, and review the tone and content of marketing. There will also be a further sharing of data to protect problem gamblers from experiencing harm.

Flutter CEO Peter Jackson, representing all five companies, said: "This is an unprecedented level of commitment and collaboration by the leading companies in the British betting and gaming sector to address gambling-related harm and promote safer gambling.

Flutter chief executive Peter Jackson: 'unprecedented level of commitment and collaboration'

"The whistle-to-whistle advertising ban was a good start, now we are funding a significant expansion in treatment and we continue to work on a number of areas of collaboration and best practice. Our aim is nothing less than a step change in how we tackle gambling-related harm.”

Culture secretary Jeremy Wright welcomed the news and said: "The gambling industry has a responsibility to tackle problem gambling and contribute to the cost of treatment to rebuild the lives of those affected.

"I welcome the commitments of five leading gambling operators to significantly increase the funding they provide. We will monitor closely the progress of these new measures and encourage the wider industry to step up. The government will not hesitate to take further action to protect people from gambling related harm."

Later in Parliament, while answering questions on the matter, Wright called on other firms to contribute and said the government did not intend to let up the pressure on the industry when it came to funding measures to tackle problem gambling.

The £60m contribution was also viewed as a positive by gaming and leisure analyst Gavin Kelleher of Goodbody stockbrokers. He said: "Overall we view this joint announcement as a positive step from the top five operators in the UK.

"The commitment to increase annual financial support for safer gambling to £60m is a big undertaking and highlights the collective commitment to reduce problem gambling. The other measures around advertising and data sharing should also be well received."

If you are concerned about your gambling and are worried you may have a problem, click here to find advice on how you can receive help