Following the Responsible Gambling Fund's decision to terminate its agreement, The GREaT Foundation has agreed to step in and conclude negotiations with GamCare regarding the National Gambling Helpline.
Since becoming fully operational in 2010, the RGF has formed part of a tri-partite arrangement to provide an alternative to bringing in a statutory levy on the gambling industry to fund research, education and treatment for problem gambling.
In July, however, the RGF, which distributes funds, announced it would be pulling out of its agreement with the GREaT Foundation - the organisation given the task of raising the funds - on the grounds that the system was “unworkable”.
The RGF had been working with GamCare to explore the possibility of providing a grant to develop a National Gambling Helpline that is free to use, provides information about gambling-related harm and offers immediate support to those seeking help.
Marc Etches, chief executive of GREaT, said his organisation had agreed to take over negotiations with GamCare regarding the helpline and is committed to reaching an agreement for a minimum two-year contract by September 30.
“On behalf of all concerned, GREaT will ensure that any future contract will be demanding of GamCare in terms of its future competitiveness, transparency, and value for money, and will expect commitment to both empirical evaluation and continuous improvement,” he said.
Neil Goulden, chairman GREaT, described the helpline as an “important element of the support structure” for problem gambling but said that the industry that volunteers to fund it should be “satisfied that their donations are spent wisely”.
“We’ve done all of the legwork over the last 18 months," a spokesperson for the RGF said. "That includes taking advice from helpline experts and developing a specification for a more accessible, better known, better value for money and free-to-all National Gambling Helpline, so our hope is that GREaT will feel able take this forward."
