UK-based player protection charity GambleAware received £4.5 million in donations from the industry between April and December 2020.

The voluntary amount does not include cash accrued from extra donations or financial obligations linked to regulatory breaches.

Profitable operators licensed in the UK are asked by the charity to donate 0.1% of their annual gross gaming yield (GGY) to help with player safety-related causes.

Which operators contributed the most? 

During the eight months, Flutter Entertainment donated £874,000 voluntarily. Bet365 was second on the list, contributing £763,000 of its revenue.

William Hill has said it will contribute £1.04 million over the whole financial year, and has so far donated £540,000.

Also high on the contributions list were Gamesys (£450,000), Betway (£134,000), 888 Holdings (£50,000) and Casumo (£43,000).

In an article on its website, GambleAware said:

“In order to be transparent in the context of the current voluntary funding arrangements, and as established in our donation FAQs, GambleAware publishes details of donations and pledges received from those that derive an income from gambling in Britain.

“Currently we ask all those who profit from gambling in Britain to donate annually a minimum of 0.1% of their annual Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) directly to GambleAware. We ask those with an annual GGY of less than £250,000 per annum to donate a minimum of £250.

“On behalf of all those that benefit from their funding, we would like to thank our supporters once again for their much-valued support.”

Money from regulatory settlements re-invested

This financial year, £8.8 million has been sent to GambleAware for settling cases related to regulation. £3 million of this was from William Hill, following regulatory breaches under its Mr Green brand in February 2020.

£5.8 million of Betway’s £11.6 million financial penalty from March 2020 makes up the remainder.

GambleAware said that it has used this money to fund treatment, as well as research projects and education initiatives.

GambleAware has a new incoming CEO

This week, GambleAware has also announced who will replace the outgoing Marc Etches as CEO.

Zoë Osmond will take over to lead the company from the end of March 2021. She has already spent over two years at GambleAware, working as Communications and Engagement Director.

Before joining GambleAware in 2018, she was the CEO of the National Advertising Benevolent Society.