Flutter and Entain Boost GambleAware Donations
The British gambling charity GambleAware has enjoyed an 80.9% increase in donations from gambling business to £19 million in the year ending 31 March, primarily due to large increases in contributions from Flutter (LON: FLTR) and Entain (LON: ENT).
The two operators, together with Bet365 and William Hill (LON: WMH), have pledged to donate £100 million to help improve treatment services for problem gamblers by the end of 2023.
The period marked the first full year since Flutter acquired the Stars Group to become Great Britain’s largest operator, and it donated more than any other operator, £9.3 million, an increase of more than 800% from 2019-20.
Entain was the previous leader, but it still hugely increased its own donations by 200% to £4.3 million. William Hill gave £1 million, roughly the same as 2019-20, while Bet365 donated £763,000, a decrease of 11.8%. In total, the four donated £15.4 million.
Impressively, this total is far larger than that predicted in January by the then-chief executive Mark Etches in a letter to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Gambling-related Harms.
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The new chief executive, Zoë Osmond, explained that the commitment from the operators to increase their donations has been a major benefit.
This growth in donations is the largest year-on-year growth we’ve seen, driven largely as a result of the commitment by the ‘Big Four’. This will enable us to continue and expand our work to ensure evidence-informed services are developed according to need within a robust and accountable system.
In total, close to 700 businesses contributed to the charity, each donating at least £250, which is the charity’s minimum donation. The charity also received £8.8 million from regulatory settlements, including £3 million from William Hill after Mr Green was found to have breached rules regarding preventing harm and money laundering, and £5.8 million from Betway for VIP failings.
Osmond explained that the money will be used to fund and improve the National Gambling Treatment Service and that the charity will soon be publishing detailed plans regarding how it hopes to spend the money.
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