Glasgow Secures €4.02m to Tackle Gambling Harm

Glasgow is set to receive €4.02 million over the next three years to expand its response to gambling-related harm, with some of the money directed towards neighbourhoods where betting shops are most concentrated.

The funding comes from the UK’s new statutory gambling levy, introduced in April 2025 after the country moved away from its previous voluntary funding arrangement. Glasgow City Council plans to use the allocation for prevention, financial support and staff training, while rebuilding a wider local network focused on gambling harm.

The scale of the problem is already significant. A recent report presented to the council’s Wellbeing, Equalities, Communities, Culture and Engagement Policy Committee estimated the annual cost of gambling harm in Glasgow at more than €17.55 million. That was the highest estimate recorded in Scotland.

There is also a clear geographic divide. Around 42% of Glasgow’s betting outlets are located in the city’s most deprived areas. The council is therefore planning targeted work in three neighbourhoods with the highest betting shop density rather than relying only on citywide services.

Where the Money Will Go

The 2026–27 programme will expand gambling harm prevention work delivered through The Glasgow Project.

Plans include additional prevention staff and the revival of the city’s multi-agency partnership. Schools and youth services are expected to receive more prevention support, while young people dealing with gambling-related debt will be among those targeted.

A new specialist financial inclusion service is also planned. Its focus will be people whose gambling has contributed to financial problems, bringing debt support closer to the wider harm-reduction response.

The council also wants health, community and public service workers to receive additional training so gambling-related problems can be identified earlier.

A New National Funding Model

The Glasgow allocation is part of a wider change in how gambling harm is funded across Britain.

The statutory levy replaced the previous voluntary system overseen by GambleAware. The new arrangement is expected to generate around €117 million a year, with payments collected by the Gambling Commission under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Funding is also being distributed elsewhere. In England, DCMS has allocated €29.72 million from the levy to 33 voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.

Wales has established its own levy-funded programme through Public Health Wales. It provides up to €819,000 a year for two years for community-led projects, with individual grants capped at €87,750 annually.

For Glasgow, the immediate priority is more local. The €4.02 million gives the council room to expand services, but the data driving the programme points to a more difficult problem: gambling harm is concentrated in communities already facing higher levels of deprivation, and a substantial share of the city’s betting outlets sits in those same areas.

Glasgow Secures €4.02m to Tackle Gambling Harm

Where the Money Will Go

A New National Funding Model

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