Gamban Reverts to Free Services in England After Funding Approval

Gamban, a UK gambling blocking system, has announced its return to offering free services in England, following a similar move in Wales earlier this year. This change comes after securing approved funding from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID).

What Happened

Gamban, a UK-focused gambling blocking system, has reversed its subscription-only model in England, making its services free of charge. This development follows the company’s prior decision to offer free services in Wales earlier in the year, according to SBC News. The shift to a subscription model for Gamban, alongside other safer gambling and customer protection organizations in the UK, occurred during a period of adjustment after the introduction of the government’s statutory gambling harms levy.

The return to free services in England was made possible by approved funding from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), as reported by SBC News. Gamban provides self-exclusion services across gambling companies, aiming to assist individuals experiencing gambling-related harm. Its technological development is informed by the lived experiences of those who have encountered problem gambling and gambling harm.

Key Details

• Gamban has returned to offering free services in England, having previously established a free service in Wales earlier this year, according to SBC News.
• The change in England was facilitated by approved funding from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), as reported by SBC News.
• Gamban’s prior shift to a subscription-only model was a direct adjustment to the government’s introduction of a statutory gambling harms levy, according to SBC News.
• The funding for prevention, including allocations to the Gambling Harms Prevention Fund, is now handled by OHID, with the National Health Service (NHS) overseeing treatment across England, Scotland, and Wales, according to SBC News.

Why It Matters

Gamban’s reversion to free services in England may indicate a stabilization within the third-party sector following significant changes to gambling harm treatment funding in the UK, according to SBC News. The previous funding model relied on voluntary annual donations from operators to the research, treatment, and education (RET) system, which was overseen by GambleAware. The UK has since transitioned to a new Statutory Levy system, where contributions are collected and overseen by the NHS across England, Scotland, and Wales, with the NHS leading on treatment, as stated by SBC News.

Initially, gambling harm charities and prevention organizations expressed concerns that the new selective funding method could jeopardize their operations or restrict services, leading some, like Gamban, to adopt subscription models. However, with new funding allocated from OHID and the Gambling Harms Prevention Fund, organizations like Gamban are now able to revert to offering services free of charge, enhancing accessibility for individuals seeking support for gambling harm, according to SBC News.

What’s Next

Gamban has stated that the recent funding provides an opportunity to collaborate with partners across the sector to expand the availability of its protection services to more individuals, free of charge, according to SBC News.