NHS Stops taking Gambling Funds To Treat Addiction

19 February 2022


The NHS will stop taking cash from the gaming market to deal with individuals with addiction, the NHS England nationwide psychological health director has stated.


Writing to charity GambleAware, Claire Murdoch said the NHS would instead fund its own betting services from 1 April.


The betting industry paid ₤ 16m to GambleAware between April and December to assist fund treatment services.


Of this, ₤ 1.2 m was granted in grants to NHS-run betting centers.


But Ms Murdoch said patients were uneasy about using services spent for by the gambling market - and she said that had "greatly affected" her decision to turn down future financing from GambleAware.


She stated industry financing "has permitted us to present treatment services quicker than would have otherwise been possible", but there was a desire to move the financing into general NHS financing.


"Additionally, our clinicians feel there are disputes of interest in their clinics being part-funded by resources from the gambling industry," Ms Murdoch wrote.


It comes less than a year after Ms Murdoch told the Guardian, external that gambling firms ought to be struck with a mandatory levy to fund treatment, as the NHS had been delegated "choose up the pieces".


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In her most current letter to GambleAware, she said the health service can not deal with the "damages" brought by gambling alone, and neither is it the NHS's "job" to do so.


Ms Murdoch stated the NHS would continue to work closely with GambleAware to develop a treatment system that is "suitable for purpose".


Last year, the general voluntary pledges to GambleAware included ₤ 1m from William Hill, ₤ 4m from Entain and just over ₤ 4m from Bet365.