SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
GambleAware has this morning confirmed that Marc Etches will step down as Chief Executive of the problem gambling prevention and treatment support charity at the end of March 2021.
The decision will see Etches complete a decade leading GambleAware, a charity which under his leadership was transformed into the primary commissioner and convenor of services dedicated to reducing and preventing gambling harms across the UK.
Etches is credited with forming a national public health approach to tackling problem gambling and the nuances of its addictions, securing vital support from the NHS, mental health agencies, local authorities and voluntary sector organisations.
Issuing a statement of behalf of GambleAware governance, Kate Lampard CBE, said: “It has been a pleasure working with Marc over the past four years and he has taken the charity from strength to strength.
“As a result of his hard work, GambleAware has developed the expertise and sustainability to continue to deliver and work with partners across the healthcare spectrum to prevent and protect against gambling harms. I look forward to continuing this important work with a new Chief Executive next year.”
Expanding GambleAware operations and resources, Etches led the substantial increase in donations for the charity, securing a £100 million funding commitment from licensed operators through its collaboration with Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).
Today, a revamped GambleAware maintains £40 million in grant funding under active management, as the charity continues to develop its ‘National Gambling Treatment Service’ with NHS partners across England, Scotland and Wales.
Marc Etches also commented on his upcoming departure: “It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve as CEO for nearly a decade and I am enormously proud of the charity’s development and the contribution it makes, in partnerships with others, to keeping people safe from gambling harms.
With the prospect of a new era of increased funding and wider commissioning responsibilities, it is the right time for the charity to find someone with the skills and expertise necessary to take it into the next stage of its evolution.
I want to thank the Board of trustees and the entire staff team at GambleAware for their hard work and commitment to the charity’s purpose as well as for their magnificent personal support of me.”
GambleAware’s Board of Trustees confirms that it has begun its executive search for a new CEO to lead the charity’s ‘next stage of evolution’, with expertise in the commissioning of healthcare services, to ensure gambling harms are tackled as a matter of public and individual health and wellbeing.
