Five leading gambling operators in the UK have confirmed they are increasing their voluntary levy on gambling profits to one per cent.
Bet365, Flutter (Paddy Power and Betfair), GVC (Ladbrokes and Coral), Sky Betting and Gaming and William Hill have agreed a package of measures to fund an expansion of treatment for problem gamblers and initiatives to create a safer gambling environment.
The move follows discussions on the matter with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport that helped to broker the commitments.
The five firms are upping financial support for safer gambling from 0.1 per cent of GGR from the UK over the next five years to one per cent in 2023, reaching a level of around £60m.
The companies also stated they have committed to spending a cumulative £100m on treatment over the next four years.
Peter Jackson, CEO of Flutter, representing all five companies, said: “This is an unprecedented level of commitment and collaboration by the leading companies in the British betting and gaming sector to address gambling-related harm and promote safer gambling.
“The whistle-to-whistle advertising ban was a good start, now we are funding a significant expansion in treatment and we continue to work on a number of areas of collaboration and best practice. Our aim is nothing less than a step change in how we tackle gambling-related harm.”
