Donations from the UK’s Major Gambling Brands
The latest figures for the UK charity GambleAware show it received ￡5.4m ($6.8m) in donations during Q1 and Q2 of this year alone.
This saw some of the UK’s biggest operators, including GVC Holdings, William Hill, and Bet365 donate large amounts of cash in the period spanning April 1 to September 30.
With funds received from regulatory settlements not taken into account, the actual figure for the said period is set to be much higher.
List topped by GVC, William Hill, Bet365
While most of the money for the two quarters comes from pledges and donations, GambleAware also receives cash from unclaimed winnings or dormant accounts. These are used to develop initiatives to offer support for gamblers and to help prevent problem gambling.
GVC Holdings has pledged ￡1.45m ($1.84m), while William Hill also volunteered to give ￡1m ($1.27m)
So far this year, the parent company of Ladbrokes and Coral, GVC Holdings, has pledged ￡1.45m ($1.84m), while William Hill also volunteered to give ￡1m ($1.27m). Bet365 donated ￡868,000 ($1.06m) during the first two quarters.
The Rank Group, which owns Grosvenor Casino and Mecca Bingo, donated ￡284,450 ($362,470). This was followed by a donation of ￡160,000 ($203,000) from BetVictor and ￡153.500 ($195,600) received from Betway.
Donation amounts requested
GambleAware has indicated different thresholds for donations that are dependent on company turnover. For operators with a gambling revenue of less than ￡250,000 ($318,571) a year, it specifies a minimum contribution of ￡250 ($318.57). Operators earning more are expected to donate a 0.1% portion of their Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) annually.
Funds received from regulatory fines
This year, the charity has also received ￡1.29m ($1.64m) after a number of operators were given fines in regulatory settlements. LeoVegas, which was fined for advertising failings and mistreating customers reaching the end of their self-exclusion period, paid ￡600,000 ($764,571) to the charity.
Gamesys was also fined by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) for breaching money laundering regulations and failing to prevent gambling harm. It agreed to pay GambleAware the sum of ￡690,000 ($879,256).