The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has been named as the lead harm prevention commissioning body for the new Statutory Levy on gambling.
The OHID is a part of the United Kingdom’s Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and will play a key role in deciding where funding is directed in England, once the new gambling levy comes into force in April.
The OHID will also work closely with appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales to ensure that there is a harmonious approach to harm reduction across the three nations of the UK.
The OHID will receive a maximum of £30 million a year from the levy and is tasked with developing a comprehensive development plan to reduce problem gambling harms across British communities.
As part of this remit, the OHID will allocate funding to third-party organisations to support its work in evidence-led research of problem gambling. The body will also review the capacity and effectiveness of the NHS system, partners and frontline support who provide treatment services for gambling harms.
In an address to the House of Commons, Baroness Twycross, UK Minister for Gambling at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said: “OHID and appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales will undertake necessary design work to determine the final scope of prevention activity, working closely with the research and treatment leads to ensure a joined-up approach. We will develop and provide clear and measurable outcomes for the prevention strand of the statutory levy system.”
Twycross also spoke of her confidence in the new statutory levy, which will generate roughly £100 million for research, education and treatment (RET) related to gambling-related harm.
“The statutory levy will, for the first time, provide ring-fenced investment towards the prevention of gambling-related harms. Together with OHID and the wider levy system, we are confident that the levy will play a crucial role in the government’s manifesto commitment to reducing gambling-related harm,” she said
In response to the appointment, UK-based gambling charity GambleAware welcomed the appointment of the OHID. It stated that it looks forward to working closely with the body as the industry moves to the new statutory levy system.
In a joint statement, GambleAware CEO Zoe Osmond and Professor Sian Griffiths said: “As we move forward, we will work with OHID to ensure a smooth and safe transition to the future system.
“We believe the new system needs effective population-based prevention activity to raise awareness of the risks of gambling and ensure an integrated approach to supporting those at risk of harm. We will strive to play our full part in the future system in whichever way best ensures a collaborative and effective system is created to move us towards our vision of a society free from gambling harm.”
Britain’s Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) also welcomed the announcement but called on the OHID to operate in an objective and transparent manner.
A BGC spokesperson said: “Given OHID’s previous flawed report on gambling in 2023, it is essential the Levy Board has strict oversight of OHID and these significant funds, including enforcing a clear set of protocols to ensure transparency, a programme of evaluation plus a regime of external auditing.
“BGC members and licensed operators voluntarily contributed over £170 million over the last four years to tackle problem gambling and gambling-related harm, including £50 million in 2024, funding an independent network of charities currently caring for 85 per cent of all problem gamblers receiving treatment in Britain,” the BGC added.
“Ministers must not lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of the 22.5 million people who enjoy a bet each month, on the lottery, in bookmakers, casinos, bingo halls and online, do so safely, while the most recent NHS Health Survey for England estimated that just 0.4 per cent of the adult population are problem gamblers.”