Scientists who published in the British Medical Journal are the latest to criticize the shift towards a levy-based funding for gambling research, treatment, and prevention.
Cited as a central piece of the latest gambling industry reform in the United Kingdom, the levy came online earlier this year in April and obligates gambling companies to pay a percentage of their gross gaming yield to the government, which, in turn, will divvy up the money and administer it to advance various gambling harm-prevention and treatment options, as well as research.
Is the new gambling research funding model in the UK reliable?
While the industry has cautioned that the shift in funding could empower the black market, the British Medical Journal now posits another warning. According to a recent study in the journal, "Doomed to failure gambling research funded by new levy is at risk from industry influence," members of the public could supposedly experience more harm from this model.
The issue stems not so much from the funding factor, but rather from the oversight exercised by the government, the study suggests, as the current governance "will not protect the research process from industry actors."
The issue is that UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the body in charge of gambling research, will allow industry insiders to assume co-leadership roles if approved. The goal of this is to garner more insight into gambling companies’ operations and vast troves of player-focused data, but researchers fear that it could also backfire.
The industry will still have some say in industry-related say
The new measure is expected to raise £100m from the industry this way, but qualms persist that the money could be misplaced. GambleAware, the gambling industry-funded charity, is also winding down as the funding will now be shifted to the government, which will then decide what to fund.
A fifth of the money collected through the levy will be directly handed over to the UKRI to spearhead research and innovation. This has raised concerns about whether industry insiders would only seek to ensure that the research is conducted adequately and corresponds to an evidence-based approach or, conversely, seek to influence the findings.
These fears are legitimate. Recently, GambleAware found out that video ads by gambling companies that sought to promote responsible gambling failed to highlight the dangers of gambling, insisting that it was "harmless fun" and might have actually contributed to a rise in gambling rather than curbing excessive gambling.
