NHS Stops taking Gambling Funds To Treat Addiction
19 February 2022
The NHS will stop taking money from the betting market to treat people with dependency, the NHS England national mental health director has said.
Writing to charity GambleAware, Claire Murdoch stated the NHS would instead money its own gaming services from 1 April.
The gambling market paid ₤ 16m to GambleAware in between April and December to help fund treatment services.
Of this, ₤ 1.2 m was awarded in grants to NHS-run betting centers.
But Ms Murdoch stated clients were uneasy about utilizing services spent for by the gaming industry - and she stated that had actually "greatly influenced" her choice to turn down future financing from GambleAware.
She said industry funding "has allowed us to roll out treatment services faster than would have otherwise been possible", however there was a desire to move the financing into general NHS financing.
"Additionally, our clinicians feel there are conflicts of interest in their clinics being part-funded by resources from the gaming market," Ms Murdoch wrote.
It comes less than a year after Ms Murdoch informed the Guardian, external that betting companies should be struck with a mandatory levy to fund treatment, as the NHS had actually been left to "get the pieces".
'I 'd bet on the school run and on the bus'
Teenagers 'bombarded by betting advertisements'
In her most current letter to GambleAware, she stated the health service can not address the "harms" brought by gambling alone, and neither is it the NHS's "job" to do so.
Ms Murdoch said the NHS would continue to work closely with GambleAware to develop a treatment system that is "fit for purpose".
Last year, the overall voluntary promises to GambleAware consisted of ₤ 1m from William Hill, ₤ 4m from Entain and just over ₤ 4m from Bet365.
19 February 2022
The NHS will stop taking money from the betting market to treat people with dependency, the NHS England national mental health director has said.
Writing to charity GambleAware, Claire Murdoch stated the NHS would instead money its own gaming services from 1 April.
The gambling market paid ₤ 16m to GambleAware in between April and December to help fund treatment services.
Of this, ₤ 1.2 m was awarded in grants to NHS-run betting centers.
But Ms Murdoch stated clients were uneasy about utilizing services spent for by the gaming industry - and she stated that had actually "greatly influenced" her choice to turn down future financing from GambleAware.
She said industry funding "has allowed us to roll out treatment services faster than would have otherwise been possible", however there was a desire to move the financing into general NHS financing.
"Additionally, our clinicians feel there are conflicts of interest in their clinics being part-funded by resources from the gaming market," Ms Murdoch wrote.
It comes less than a year after Ms Murdoch informed the Guardian, external that betting companies should be struck with a mandatory levy to fund treatment, as the NHS had actually been left to "get the pieces".
'I 'd bet on the school run and on the bus'
Teenagers 'bombarded by betting advertisements'
In her most current letter to GambleAware, she stated the health service can not address the "harms" brought by gambling alone, and neither is it the NHS's "job" to do so.
Ms Murdoch said the NHS would continue to work closely with GambleAware to develop a treatment system that is "fit for purpose".
Last year, the overall voluntary promises to GambleAware consisted of ₤ 1m from William Hill, ₤ 4m from Entain and just over ₤ 4m from Bet365.