EPIC gains UKGC approval for problem gambling funding

Gambling harm prevention consultancy EPIC Risk Management (EPIC) has become one of the first private companies to be listed on the UK Gambling Commission’s RET register.

EPIC joins counterparts GambleAware, GamCare and YGAM on the list of approved organisations to which gambling companies are required to make social responsibility financial contributions in order to meet their licence conditions. 

Under UKGC licence conditions, operators must: 

• make an annual financial contribution to each of research, prevention and treatment 
• ensure that these donations go to one or more organisation on the RET register
• ensure that they have no connection to the recipient organisation 
• report information accurately in their annual or quarterly regulatory return to the Commission about the destination(s) of their payment and the amounts that have been contributed. This includes ensuring that there is no duplication of data across multiple licences. 

Commenting on the news, EPIC CEO and Founder Paul Buck said: “We are delighted to have worked closely with the Safer Gambling Team and executives at the Commission to secure EPIC’s place on the RET supplier register. 

“For the National Strategy to Reduce Harms to be successful it is important that collaboration is possible and all leading providers are able to contribute, whilst demonstrating the necessary independent oversight. 

“We will now work closely with the regulator, and the many potential partners who have expressed an interest in working with EPIC, to provide meaningful, impactful and evaluated gambling harm minimisation programmes and initiatives to help accelerate the strategy.”

Gambling companies are able to continue donating funds to organisations that are not included on the register, however this will not be counted as LCCP RET contributions.