GambleAware names Entain as top Q1 donor with £2m contribution

GambleAware has published its list of Q1 betting industry donors, revealing that Entain topped its list of contributors with a donation of £2 million.

GambleAware currently requests that all licensed operators donate 0.1% of their gross annual gambling yield directly to GambleAware, whilst firms with an annual gross gambling revenue under £250,000 per annum are asked to donate a minimum of £250.

Publishing its report, covering the period of 1 April to 30 June 2021, the independent responsible gambling charity announced that voluntary donations from the industry – meaning those made outside of the 0.1% GGR requirement – totalled £2.3 million, of which £2 million came from Ladbrokes and Coral operator Entain.

In addition to Entain, other leading licensed UK operators to have donated significant amounts include Videoslots at £50,000, One Click at £22,800.91, STS BET with £22,000 and Star Racing at £20,720.27.

Meanwhile, SkillOnNet donated £11,000 and Play’n GO contributed £9,750, whilst BetVictor, Mansion Europe Holdings and Novomatic AG made pledges of £65,000, £10,000 and £5,000 respectively.

The Q1 2021 donations report differs heavily from GambleAware’s Q1-Q3 2020 results, which highlighted Flutter Entertainment (Paddy Power, Betfair) and William Hill as the leading donors at £874,000 and £540,000 each.

The list of donations and pledges for 2021/22 received up to 30 June 2021 are included within the report with any sent in after the date being published in the next update, scheduled October 2021. 

Furthermore, only donations and pledges made directly to GambleAware are included within the report, yet operators may choose to donate to another RET organisation or initiative instead of, or in addition to, GambleAware. 

Additionally, UK regulations also outline that licensed operators may offer to make donations to socially responsible causes as part of a regulatory settlement with the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). However, GambleAware did not receive any funds towards its work under the terms of this agreement in Q1.