GambleAware is closing down. Here’s why we decided to put our charity out of action

GambleAware is closing. This summer, GambleAware’s chair of trustees, Andy Boucher, announced that the charity would be working towards a managed closure by 31 March 2026. While no decision such as this is easy or straightforward, especially when a dedicated and passionate workforce will be required to move onto pastures new, there is a unanimous agreement that this is the best outcome for the gambling harms sector and the people who need support the most. Here’s why we came to our decision.

Great Britain has reached a watershed moment in its approach to tackling gambling harm. For too long, millions of people – including children, young adults and people from minority communities – have been impacted by the devastating consequences of gambling harm, often in silence due to the stigma attached. The introduction of a statutory levy on the gambling industry and the appointment of new commissioners for research, prevention and treatment, means gambling harm is finally being recognised and resourced as the serious public health issue it is.

Gambling harm is a serious public health issue that can affect anyone. More than half of adults in Britain gamble each year and whilst many people do so without experiencing any problems. The impact of gambling can be significant and may damage health and wellbeing. It creates serious risks of financial difficulties, breakdown of relationships, mental and physical health problems, and sadly in some cases, suicide. Harms are often suffered not just by those who gamble, but by friends, family and wider society.

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The levy is designed to address the growing concerns surrounding gambling harms. Its introduction will ensure that all licensed gambling operators contribute fairly to the funding of initiatives that prevent and treat gambling related issues – initiatives that in the current system have been led by GambleAware and providers within the National Gambling Support Network (NGSN). Following our closure, those contributions will go to the new commissioners within the future system – NHS England, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), UK Research and Innovation, and the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales. They will take on responsibility for deciding where to distribute funding, and ultimately be the decision makers on how best to reduce gambling harms. The government has emphasised the importance of this funding in supporting vulnerable populations, in particular young adults who are at higher risk of gambling related harms.

At GambleAware, we have long campaigned for this change. Since 2017, we have championed the creation of a statutory, government-led system, funded by a levy, that embeds gambling harm alongside other health priorities such as alcohol, drug use and high fat, salt and sugar foods. This reform has been a long time coming, and its arrival is both welcome and necessary. It has the potential to transform lives, reduce inequalities, and protect future generations from harm.

This moment marks progress, but it must also be seen as a point of transition. For more than a decade, GambleAware has played a leading role in commissioning, designing and delivering services and prevention activity to reduce and prevent gambling harm across Britain. Working with partners in the NHS, the wider third sector and crucially, the lived experience community, we have created the foundations on which this new system can now be built.

That foundation is strong. Each year, the NGSN helps tens of thousands of people through local, evidence-based services. Our national public health behaviour change campaigns – co-created by those with lived experience of gambling harm – have reached millions, challenging stigma, raising awareness, and offering tools for self-help. Our website alone receives more than five million visits annually, connecting people with free advice, tools, and treatment options. Digital interventions and targeted programmes have helped reach those at the highest risk, particularly young people. Throughout, we have sought to put the voices of those directly affected by gambling harm at the centre of all our work.

We are immensely proud of this record and our legacy. But we are equally realistic that no charity, however effective, can replace a statutory system. Gambling harm requires the same structural response as other public health challenges. This is why GambleAware’s trustees took the decision to work towards a managed closure by March 2026 following the announcement of the statutory levy, with the aim of supporting a smooth and stable transition to the new commissioning bodies.

As that transition unfolds, continuity remains a priority. It’s important that services do not falter and that programmes do not disappear. It’s also crucial that the expertise built up across the sector is preserved.

GambleAware has commissioned an entire integrated system with the voices of those with lived experience, helping to shape the design of key initiatives like the NGSN and our stigma-reduction campaigns. 

The greatest concern now is losing this integrated, system-wide approach – and those vital lived experience voices – as the new treatment and prevention commissioners develop their own plans. While structural change makes this risk likely, we are working closely with the new commissioners to mitigate it. A national strategy with clear outcomes and input from the lived experience community, which is tied to commissioner accountability is, in our view, essential for the future gambling harms system. 

As we look ahead, GambleAware will continue to deliver until the statutory system is fully operational. We will fulfil existing commissioning agreements and ensure that those at risk of harm continue to have access to free, confidential support. Our priority is – and always has been – the people affected by gambling harm.

This is a moment of both pride and collaboration. As we work towards our closure over the coming months, we will live true to our belief that to tackle gamble harm there must be a system approach with collaboration between lived experience, the third sector and statutory sector. The statutory levy is a historic step forward, but only if it delivers on its promise.

Our vision remains clear: a society free from gambling harm. The foundations are in place. Now it is up to NHS England, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), UK Research and Innovation, and the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales to build upon the current system’s achievements and insights and carry that vision forward.

If you’re worried about how gambling makes you feel, we can help. For free and confidential advice, tools and support, search GambleAware or contact the National Gambling Helpline, available 24/7, on 0808 8020 133.

Anna Hargrave is GambleAware deputy CEO and chief commissioning and strategy officer.

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