BETTER CHANGE
opportunity to contribute to the call to evidence when the review began and this is the problem, no regular, recreational and health gambler is going to do that, furthermore they would probably have been blissfully unaware that this process was taking place and that is on us.
gambling yet!). The national media didn’t help, at the end of the day bad news sells and almost weekly anti-gambling campaigners appeared across our media with no counter to their argument (despite myself and others offering their services, which were ignored) so they were free to spread mis-information around the prevalence of harm and strong emotional topics such as gambling related suicide.
An example of when the debate did prick the ears of the consumer was when the racing community heard of the impending affordability checks. Outraged by what they saw as an intrusion into their privacy, a petition was raised and the matter was debated in parliament but it was too little too late. Discussing this matter on a panel at an event I was told that the public had an
30 APRIL 2025
We can complain and point fi ngers as much as we like at the anti-gambling lobby but the fact is they co-ordinated their campaign very well and whilst a number of operators consulted with their players as part of the evidence gathering, we didn’t pool our resources together and present a united front in terms of the consumer voice. One of the outcomes of this is that the UK industry has been hit with a whopping £100million bill in the form of the statutory levy for gambling harm this is a 66% increase on the voluntary scheme which it replaces, but why such an increase? Despite there being no evidence for the need of more treatment spaces half of the funds will be directed here even though services are currently nowhere near capacity. The rest will be spent of research and prevention and control will move away from established 3rd sector providers in favour of a more public health approach. With resources like that and given the apparent motivation of those who hold the purse strings in the UK, it is a concern that the statutory levy for gambling harm may actually become a levy to harm gambling and it is because we have failed to put the voice of the average consumer central to our argument. This is something Better Change are committed to
addressing so that we do not continue to fi nd ourselves in the same position again. Play Positively! Rob
Rob Mabbett
Rob joined Better Change from the charity Gordon Moody where he spent 5 years running their international gambling helpline “Gambling Therapy” as well as helping to raise their profi le and ensure suffi cient treatment spaces were available in their residential treatment centres to meet demand. With over 12 years industry experience, including being a previous winner of the Racing Post and SiS Betting Shop Manager of the Year award, Rob brings a unique insight into the
prevention and treatment of
gambling harm and is keen to focus his efforts further upstream as we aim to
prevent against gambling harm at Better
Change through Positive Play.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
