GambleAware, the U.K. problem gambling agency, has pledged £4 million (US$5.5 million) to help create Great Britain’s first academic research hub for gambling harms research. The center will support a goal of eliminating gambling harms while developing an academic research program.
Researchers should help raise additional funding to support growth beyond the initial grant, according to iGaming Business.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for a British university to develop and innovate in a relatively under-researched field, bringing to bear a much wider range of academic disciplines than are currently engaged in gambling harms research,” GambleAware interim research director Alison Clare said. “With this significant investment, a British university and its partners will have the chance to create a step change in building knowledge in an area which links and overlaps with many other subjects and fields.”
The hub will try to expand the number of academic fields engaged with gambling harms research in Great Britain, hoping to support more treatment providers and agencies helping to reduce or prevent gambling harms.
The center will be located at the chosen university, but a number of organizations have prepared applications to host the hub so other institutions will work with the primary host.
GambleAware also seeks applications from those who have a track record in public health, mental health, psychology, and other related disciplines.
“It’s a different type of grant award to the smaller projects and programs in our current research portfolio, with GambleAware taking a much more arm’s length approach in guiding the area of research focus,” Clare said.
In other problem gaming news, U.K. ministers gave opinions on a spate on new ideas designed to deal with addiction, according to Gambling Insider. They favor:
- A ban on sports shirt sponsorships
- A ban on VIP schemes, where cash and other rewards are handed out to players to lose a lot gambling.
- No stake limit online slot games will be cut to £2 (US$2.77) per spin.
- Hundreds of high street betting shops will be closed.
- New limits to keep betting affordable
The ministers expect to issue a white paper on these proposals later this year. MPs and campaigners want to tackle an online sector they call the wild west
“The Gambling Act is an analogue act for the digital age designed two years before smartphones. Now the majority of gambling is online and on phones,” Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told the Daily Mail.
