Ygam, the gaming and gambling charity, has reached 1.2 million young people through its education and prevention programmes across the United Kingdom.
The milestone reflects growing momentum in efforts to protect younger generations from the potential harms associated with gambling and gaming addiction.
The UK gambling levy, which requires operators to contribute funds toward research, education, and treatment, has played a significant role in powering this expansion.
Statutory levy funding has given organisations like Ygam a more reliable and substantial financial foundation from which to scale their outreach work nationally.
Ygam focuses on training educators, youth workers, and other professionals to deliver evidence-based sessions directly to young people in schools and community settings.
The charity’s model of working through trusted adults means its reach extends well beyond the number of direct classroom sessions it delivers each year.
Reaching 1.2 million young people represents a considerable achievement for a specialist charity operating within the broader responsible gambling landscape.
The gambling levy was introduced to replace a voluntary system of operator donations that critics argued was inconsistent, underfunded, and subject to conflicts of interest.
By mandating contributions from licensed operators, the UK government aimed to create a more stable and independently managed funding stream for harm prevention work.
Ygam’s latest figures demonstrate that when dedicated funding is available, specialist organisations can significantly expand their impact on vulnerable and at-risk populations.
The charity continues to develop its programmes and training materials to reflect the evolving nature of gambling products and the digital environments young people navigate daily.
As the iGaming sector continues to grow, the importance of robust, independently funded prevention work targeting young audiences becomes increasingly difficult to overstate.
