The NHS could struggle to cope with the level of problem gambling in the UK following the announcement that GambleAware will cease The NHS could struggle to cope with the level of problem gambling in the UK following the announcement that GambleAware will cease operations.

The charity will wind down by March 2026 and the NHS will take over the reigns as the central authority, which could pose potential issues for those in need of gambling help. That was the topic on the iGaming Daily podcast as SBC’s Editor-at-Large, Ted Menmuir, and SBC News’ Ted Orme-Claye, dissected the latest news.

One opinion held was that the NHS’s move is a major change for the gambling landscape in the country.  “This marks a key kind of divergence now,” Menmuir stated.

“Look, we’ve had the Gambling Act and its recommendations come in and GambleAware kind of quickening its responsibilities is for me the first signal that the impacts are going to start coming in now and this is really going to change how gambling operates in the UK.”

It was also seen as a surprise announcement, especially given they are completely ceasing operations. “I was expecting GambleAware to still find a way to fit into this ecosystem,” said Orme-Clay. 

“To maybe have to change the way it operates to change what it focuses on. Perhaps become a bit more of a treatment charity and of itself rather than what it has been, which is more of a commissioner and more of an advisory sort of thing. They’re completely stepping back.”

One potential worry discussed was whether the NHS had the capacity to cope with the demand given their resources are often stretched thin. The movement to see gambling addiction as a registered mental health issue could prove difficult. 

“I think it’s going to be very interesting to see what, you know, how this plays out going forward,” claimed Orme-Clay. “The concern I’ve got about the NHS taking on this responsibility is that the NHS is obviously an institution that’s got a lot of structural issues that need addressing.

“It’s an institution that’s been feeling a lot of pressure over the past 10, 15 years and so on and now it’s got this new role that it doesn’t have as much experience of doing as a lot of these charities do. It seems to me like it’s something that if everything isn’t planned out perfectly and everything doesn’t align, it could go wrong.”

Rounding off their discussion, there was the idea that with the government getting more involved there is a case that it could become more politicised, leading to more confusion, as commented on by Menmuir: “I think the fear for the industry is that propaganda gambling will get even more kind politicised and that will either kind of impede access to treatment.

“Or that could make it harder for organisations that do have very kind of specific roles and it’s a very broad subject matter to kind of get involved with and how treatment’s being delivered.”