SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Ygam will remain active in whatever legislative environment the UK government establishes, according to CEO Dr Jane Rigbye – but that doesn’t mean that the charity doesn’t have a preference.
Discussing the Gambling Act review White Paper and its potential outcomes at a recent Parliamentary Reception, Rigbye asserted to MPs – including former Gambling Minister Damian Phillips – that education should be a major consideration.
Holding the narrative that problem gambling should be addressed with a ‘public health response’, Rigbye maintained that education should be ‘adequately funded in the long term’ in the UK’s forthcoming legislation.
She said: “All too often we see preventative education being overlooked in the debate, or in some cases and more worryingly, work to increase awareness of treatment availability being used to demonstrate investment in prevention, when really, we would argue that the investment would be better off made upstream, so that less people need those treatment services in the first place.”
Rigbye’s comments were echoed by Shadow Education Minister Jeff Smith, who attended the Parliamentary Reception and argued that any changes to the funding model should not focus on ‘treatment alone’.
The Labour MP stated his case that policymakers should look to ‘preventing harm as well as tackling it when it has been able to develop’ when crafting and implementing their legislative decisions.
Meanwhile, one of the key objectives of the Gambling Act review has been to modernise Britain’s betting laws and regulations, bringing the industry in line with digital developments and the increase in online gambling activity in the years since 2005.
Commenting on digitisation, Rigbye explained that Ygam’s ‘DIgital Futures’ thread that underpins much of its operations, which she stated has helped the charity gain ‘unique access to and insight about how young people are experiencing the ever-evolving digital world’.
The group aims to ‘bridge the gap’ between the experiences young people face and those in positions of power, such as the Ministers and parliamentarians presiding over the review.
Rigbye continued: “We will be establishing advisory panels, hearing directly from both young people and those working in the gaming and gambling sectors to understand new and emerging issues; using this knowledge in creative ways and harnessing digital technology to empower others to prevent future harms.”In order to progress with its goals, Ygam aims to diversify its funding base and ensure the sustainability of its long-term financial backing – for which Rigbye stated it will be looking to the industry.
Ygam wants betting firms to ‘understand the potential for corporate funding’, whilst also appealing to mainstream grant funding opportunities by demonstrating the impact its work has on young people and their families.
The DCMS, currently under the Michelle Donelan MP and with Paul Scully as Gambling Minister, anticipates the White Paper to be published within the next two months, laying out the regulatory future for UK gambling, including prevention and treatment funding.
