Gaming firms volunteer cash towards addiction research
Posted by Gavin Smith on 12 Jun 2009 at 13:06
The UK government has suspended talk of a statutory levy to fund research into problem gambling after gaming firms agreed to pay £15 million over the next three years towards battling addiction.
The Financial Times reported earlier this week that talks ended with an announcement that trade bodies and the Responsibility in Gambling Trust charity had said yes to a voluntary amount of £5 million per year for the next three years.
The money will be provided by the charity, and distributed by a newly-set up fund while advice to the Gambling Commission on problem playing will be delivered by an independent board.
Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe was quoted by the paper as saying: "With all three elements in place, the strategy board . . . will have the industry commitment and resources to be able to do the job that it was set up to do,"
Gambling in Britain is seen as a tricky topic by the government following the emergence of online gaming and a growth in casinos.
Mr Sutcliffe also warned that there could still be a statory levy if the voluntary arrangement failed, saying: "The protection of vulnerable people remains my number one priority and I will not be giving the industry a second chance to put this right."
The Financial Times also said Brigid Simmonds, from consultancy Business in Sport and Leisure, which was involved in the agreement, said gaming frirms had already promsied an amount which was equivalent to two-thirds of the funding.
