NHS Cuts Ties With GambleAware Which They Believe is Connected with the Gambling Industry

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

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Last updated: March 9, 2022

The National Health Service (NHS) has cut ties with GambleAware over possible relations with the gambling sector.

NHS Director of Mental Health Claire Murdoch has announced the opening of new facilities to handle the need for treatment of gambling addiction in the UK and denounce the “predatory” strategy used by betting companies.

The judgment arrives as the healthcare system cuts ties with a company that, according to them, is taking a serious toll on the country’s mental health.

Murdoch says having gambling problems is a devastating mental health issue that can wreak havoc on people’s lives. In addition, it is fitting that the organization is now self-funding these clinics because it acknowledges the damage of this habit and that the predatory strategies used by betting firms are also participating in this issue.

There Were Some Complaints From Patients

Between April and December in 2021, 668 individuals with critical addiction problems were forwarded to betting clinics, according to NHS England, up 16.2% from 575 reports compared to the same duration in 2020.

In a separate letter to GambleAware Chief Executive Officer Zoe Osmond, Murdoch told the decision was made after considering complaints from both patients and health professionals.

She noted the judgment was strongly affected by sufferers who had earlier expressed worries about utilizing services paid directly by the enterprise. Furthermore, our physicians believe there is a dispute of benefit when their clinics are funded in part by betting business resources.

GambleAware defines itself as a self-sufficient charitable organization delivering preventive and therapeutic services. It is financed nearly totally by contributions from the betting enterprise.

More About the Three-Year Funding Arrangement

In 2021, they revealed a three-year funding deal with four of the UK’s largest betting firms. The total amount is £100 million pounds. Earlier this was condemned for unnecessarily cutting funding for research and cure of betting habits.

NHS England already has a dual funding and authorization deal with GambleAware for a fee of £1.2 million a year from 2019 for the National Gambling Treatment Service. It currently runs five hospitals in Sunderland, London, Manchester, and Leeds.

The clinics opening in Stoke-on-Trent and Southampton will currently be financed completely by the National Health Service, in the context of the £2.3 billion rise in mental health expenses already approved by the state.

Osmond also notes that the National Health Service remains determined to a constructive working connection with GambleAware.

“There may be up to 2.9 million people in Great Britain at risk of gambling harm and we welcome NHS England’s commitment to open two new NHS-funded gambling harm treatment clinics,” – he said in a statement.

Wagering is a major general health problem that needs a coordinated strategy concerning the third area and the National Health Service in a unified health system. They expect to resume working with National Health Service England to help them offer a merged solution for in-game injury prevention and management.

They are also responsible for the betting and charity commission, which supports the activities and government’s structure of the charity in implementing its national plan to decrease the harm caused by gambling.