UK gambling harm charity Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (Ygam) has deemed the inaugural meeting of its Prevention Delivery Network a success.
The event brought together organisations commissioned through the Gambling Harms Prevention and Resilience Fund by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) under the UK’s new statutory levy, the funding of which was awarded earlier in April.
As a reminder, the UK transitioned from a voluntary model of industry contributions to a statutory levy imposed on gambling operators to ensure that funding for gambling harm prevention remains consistent and continuous.
The collection rates vary between 0.1% to 1.1% of Gross Gaming Yield (GGY) depending on the sector, with operators offering online play sitting at a 1% levy, land-based operators at 0.4%, and bingos and AGCs at 0.1%.
Collections, due 1 October each year, are allocated at 20% for research, 30% for prevention, and 50% for treatment of problem gambling.
Ygam’s Prevention Delivery Network is intended to bring together the organisations that are delivering gambling harm prevention activity under the new statutory levy system, fostering relationships and better strategies to improve collective work.
Quarterly meetups will highlight common challenges and identify opportunities for collaboration between levy-funded prevention programmes.
Emily Tofield, Chief Executive Officer of Ygam, said: “The creation of the Prevention Delivery Network marks an important step towards building a more connected and collaborative approach to gambling harm prevention under the new statutory levy. It was encouraging to see such strong engagement at the inaugural meeting.
“The network brings together organisations with significant experience and expertise in preventing gambling harms, alongside new entrants bringing fresh ideas and approaches.
“By working together, we can learn from one another, strengthen delivery and maximise the collective impact of the investment being made in prevention.”
