GambleAware’s closure risks killing trust in UK gambling support. How can the government replace what took decades to build?
GambleAware’s closure risks killing trust in UK gambling support. How can the government replace what took decades to build?
News of GambleAware’s closure has spread like wildfire across the United Kingdom’s gambling industry. The official date is April 2026.
For some who hold grudges due to the organisation’s combative nature and anti-gambling stance, the announcement is probably welcome.
However, despite what I would call harsh and ideologically driven criticism, GambleAware’s closure is a terrible idea for the gambling sector.
What GambleAware Achieved
We are talking about closing a brand name down that has long been the face of responsible gambling and help for problem gambling alongside GamStop in the UK.
Online casinos brandish the GambleAware logo, giving gamblers not only a reminder that gambling addiction is a real thing, but also that their brand is a reassurance that help is out there.
Why would you close down a brand that has successfully created an image? Who does that? Yes, it’s a non-profit, but regardless, profit or non-profit, brand image means everything.
GambleAware was incorporated as the Gambling Industry Charitable Trust on 28 February 2002. However, it rebranded to GambleAware in August 2017. That means as of April 2026, the entity will have technically existed for 23 years, and suddenly it’s being wiped out.
Also, how do you replace a brand name that has been cleverly engineered as the face of gambling help for almost a decade? Starting from scratch just doesn’t make any sense.
Source: To create this news report and voice my personal opinion, I am referring to the GambleAware news report – GambleAware statement on the new statutory gambling harms system.
Why Its Closure Is a Mistake
GambleAware’s Work Handed Over to the UK Government?
Let me just be frank. The British government is a joke! I am a British citizen, and I spend as much time there as possible. If it weren’t for family ties, I wouldn’t visit. It’s a mess, so when I read this statement, my first thought is that help for problem gamblers is doomed.
Andy Boucher, Chair of Trustees, GambleAware, has said: “The introduction of the new statutory levy and the appointment of the three new commissioners for gambling harms research, prevention and treatment means that, as expected, the work historically delivered by GambleAware will now transition to the UK government and new commissioners across England, Scotland and Wales“.
My secondary concern is that the move could pave the way for fake news, which we know the government is capable of disseminating. Just look at previous gambling consultations that were weighted by cherry-picked research. Given past examples like the consultation on affordability checks or spin-speed limitations, there’s a valid concern that the government may manipulate data to justify increased regulation. Propaganda through biased surveys that, mark my words, will lead to increased taxation of the UK gambling industry and less value for gamblers.
They do that, and I am off to the crypto black market. I’m not contributing to a UK casino where any profits made from my gambling end up in the pockets of the taxman because the government manipulates surveys.
Yes, I am speculating, but I wouldn’t put anything past the current bunch of clowns governing the country right now. At least GambleAware was an independent organisation to an extent, but now control is going directly into the hands of the people who have the power to manufacture an excuse to raise taxes on UK gambling.
Let’s not forget, the taxpayers will need to pay for any rebranding of a new system, which, for now, I’ll try to keep an open mind.
Why the Government Can’t Fill Its Shoes
You are probably wondering why the sudden support for GambleAware?
Honestly, when you are in my position, someone who lives and breathes gambling as a journalist and as a player, someone has to be the bad guy. GambleAware has taken up that role, but at the same time, the bad guy can also earn mutual respect.
Yes, it can seem like GambleAware is a real pain at times. It is tough to remain impartial when the organisation intervenes in issues like affordability checks or charging gambling companies a levy.
Yet, I do respect the organisation because its pessimistic view on gambling is one we need to keep the playing field level. We have operators who want to make a profit and players who want to milk the industry for as much value as we can, and then we have GambleAware on the opposite side of the spectrum, bringing us back into the middle ground.
It just works.
My Personal Take as a Player and Publisher
As a gambling news publisher and an advocate of online gambling as a player, I have always leaned towards making my playing experience in the UK better.
I speak out against GambleAware due to its over-the-top approach towards invasive affordability checks and its strong support for levies, which I believe will negatively impact the value I receive from sports betting odds and casino bonuses. Plus, some of the survey stats it spews out there are just overly biased, but I’ve never wished for such a valuable organisation in the British iGaming space to be shut down.
Addressing the Other Side
While a statutory system could improve funding transparency and ensure all operators contribute, that’s only useful if it’s executed properly. And let’s be honest, this government has a track record of mismanaging transitions, public trust, and independent oversight.
We are in for a whirlwind ride, and if I am right, and the government doesn’t set up a newly branded system like GambleAware, I believe the government will run the UK gambling industry into the ground.
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