SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Recent figures released by industry charity GambleAware have listed GVC Holdings, William Hill and Flutter Entertainment as the top three donors to the charity for the period 1 April 2019 – 31 December 2019.
For the first three quarters of the year, the industry charity had received £7.6m in voluntary contributions, however this does not include funds received through regulatory settlements.
The charity currently asks those in the industry to make an annual donation of 0.1% of their annual Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) directly to GambleAware, requesting that those with an annual gross gambling revenue of less than £250,000 per annum to donate a minimum of £250.
GVC Holdings, the umbrella group for Ladbrokes and Coral, had pledged £1.46m to the charity, followed closely by Flutter Entertainment and William Hill which both donated £1m.
The funds are used by the charity to help the development of initiatives targeted towards the prevention and treatment of problem gambling across the industry.
The list of donors consists of operators and suppliers in the industry, in addition to donations in the form of unclaimed winnings, dormant accounts and other funds.
Rank Group was also among the highest contributors to GambleAware donations, with its umbrella group of companies having paid £347,475 during Q1-Q3, committing a further £120,750 for Q4, bringing the total donation to £468,225.
Individually, Grosvenor contributed £152,625 between April and December, followed by Mecca Bingo which donated £130,425. The online division of Grosvenor, Grosvenor.com, gave £17,625, while Meccabingo.com donated £46,800.
Bet365, Buzz Group and Betway were also high on the list of donations, committing £868,000, £249,126 and £153,500 to the charity respectively.
During Q1 and Q2, the charity also received £1.29m in regulatory settlements from LeoVegas and Gamesys (Gibraltar) Limited. LeoVegas was penalised by the UK Gambling Commission for failings relating to misleading advertising and the handling of customers at the end of their self-exclusion period, and agreed to pay £600,000 to the charity.
Gamesys was reprimanded by the UKGC for failing to prevent gambling harm and breaching money laundering regulations, and agreed to make a payment of £690,000 in lieu of a financial penalty.
