GambleAware’s Bet Regret campaign nets £5m in donations during 2020
Safer gambling campaign draws funding from bet365, Entain and Flutter among others
GambleAware’s Bet Regret safer gambling campaign received donations totalling more than £5m during 2020, the gambling-related harm prevention charity has revealed.
The campaign, which was developed and launched following commitments by both operators and broadcasters to provide funding over a two-year period, aims to raise public awareness of the risks associated with gambling.
Delivered independently by GambleAware, the campaign provides for a budget of £5m-£7m a year, with 15 of the UK’s biggest gambling operators pledging donations based on a percentage of UK marketing spend.
The 15 operators donated a total of £3.9m during the second year of the campaign, with Flutter Entertainment and Entain each donating £683,847.
Bet365 donated the next largest amount with £580,898 just ahead of The Stars Group, which gave £565,000 to the charity to fund the campaign.
Donations were also made by some of the UK’s biggest media operators, including Sky, YouTube and Twitter, with broadcasters handing over more than £1m.
These donations are made in addition to the existing voluntary contributions made to fund the charity’s research, education and treatment initiatives.
In September, GambleAware launched the Tap Out phase of the Bet Regret campaign aiming to encourage bettors to ‘tap out’ in order to avoid placing impulsive bets.
The campaign has also formed the Bet Regret barbershop and a high profile advertising drive featuring ex-England goalkeeper David James.
Elsewhere, GambleAware received £3.7m in voluntary donations from UK-licensed operators over the first nine months of 2020.
Flutter again donated the most to the charity during this period with £874,000 in voluntary donations, while bet365 donated £763,000.
Rounding out the top five were William Hill (£540,000), Gamesys (£450,000) and Betway (£134,000).
The charity received £8.8m in additional funding from Gambling Commission regulatory settlements agreed by William Hill and Betway over the period.