GamCare has confirmed that hundreds of people experienced disruption to gambling harm support services during Britain’s transition to the new statutory levy funding system.
The charity described the overhaul as the most significant period of change in its history, saying it exposed serious weaknesses in the coordination of treatment and support services.
Responsibility for commissioning gambling harm services moved to five separate bodies across England, Scotland and Wales, all operating at different stages without a clear overarching structure in place.
GamCare’s annual report for the year ending 31 March 2026 detailed how some important funding decisions were communicated at very short notice, creating significant pressure on the organisation.
Changes to service provision elsewhere forced GamCare to draw on its own infrastructure and financial reserves to prevent users from being turned away without support.
The charity also noted that a surge in demand caused by those disruptions continued beyond the end of the reporting period, suggesting the fallout is still being felt.
The statutory levy replaced a previous system under which GamCare received funding through GambleAware, Gambling Commission donations and the government-backed voluntary levy.
GambleAware ceased operations at the end of March 2026, shifting responsibility for funding GamCare’s Helpline, treatment and outreach services to NHS England and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.
GamCare CEO Victoria Corbishley said: “The first phase of levy-funded commissioning has generated important learning about how services can be commissioned and coordinated effectively across a complex system.”
Under the new structure, GamCare was selected to continue operating the National Gambling Helpline and provide services across the East Midlands, London, South East and Yorkshire and the Humber.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities awarded GamCare more than £4m to expand outreach across those regions, while in Scotland the charity secured funding to provide treatment and prevention services in the Highlands and Islands.
In Wales, however, GamCare’s commissioned Helpline services were not renewed and were instead awarded to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, an organisation that has been in special measures at level five since 2023.
The National Gambling Helpline remains available to callers from Wales, but the geographic change was a direct consequence of decisions made during the commissioning transition.
GamCare’s current NHS England treatment contracts have been issued for one year only, meaning another commissioning process will be required before April 2027.
That process will unfold against a further shifting backdrop, given government plans to abolish NHS England and transfer commissioning responsibilities to Integrated Care Boards.
GamCare has offered to work with government on what it described as an early review of commissioning governance, arguing that lessons from the first year must be understood before further structural changes occur.
The charity reported income of £19.9m for 2025/26, compared with £20.3m in the previous year, while generating a £5.1m surplus during the same period.
Its reserves increased from £11m to £16m, with trustees citing uncertainty around future funding as a key reason for maintaining a stronger financial cushion going forward.
