The stories of failed gambling harm charity applications just keep flooding in as the new grants system under the Statutory Levy hits the panic button. They were handed a mess by the outgoing GambleAware regime, but the new crop have done themselves no favours at all. Such is the chaos that the DCMS has been forced to shove a Levy finger into the dyke by way of an emergency fund for charities still in desperate need of financial support.
DCMS has announced an emergency transitional fund for gambling harm charities unsuccessful in securing funding from the Statutory Levy, as the chaos around Treatment and Prevention funding continues.
The last-minute application process is intended to give established third sector bodies a three-month grace period, however the fund highlights the wider failure around the implementation of the new levy.
“The announcement follows a controversial statutory levy roll-out which has left many gambling harms professionals concerned about possible impacts on service users,” reported Next.io. “The sector has already seen widespread redundancies, cuts to core services and some charity closures amid an uncertain funding environment and inadequate provision for funding gaps.”
Speaking to the journal, one expert in extreme gambling harm cases said: “We’re supposed to have a system up and running by 1 April. I’m still getting inquiries every day to our treatment centre about where to send them.”
“It’s going to be counselling, either online or CBT, and that’s it. It’s almost like a one size fits all. And the people that we support are the ones that have got multifaceted gambling harms.”
A secondary source from the treatment sector added “it’s a systems failure.”
“I don’t think the intention was ever to be this close to the wire. But there are questions to answer on all sides around how this happened.”
Harm prevention now in harm’s way
Gambling Harm Treatment specialist said… “It’s a systems failure. I don’t think the intention was ever to be this close to the wire. But there are questions to answer on all sides around how this happened…
Originally published on Coinslot on April 6, 2026. Republished with permission.