UK focused gambling blocking system Gamban has announced that it will return to offering free services in England, having successfully achieved the same milestone in Wales earlier in the year.
Like many other safer gambling and customer protection organizations across the United Kingdom, the platform experienced a challenging period of operational adjustment when the government introduced its statutory gambling harms levy. That transition forced the company to temporarily adopt a subscription-only model to sustain its operations. Now, following approved funding from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and the Gambling Harms Prevention Fund, Gamban is able to remove subscription barriers for users in England.
Gamban provides vital self-exclusion software designed to block access to online gambling operators for individuals experiencing gambling harms. Its core technological development is deeply rooted in the lived experiences of people who have personally navigated problem gambling and related challenges. The platform’s return to free services signals a broader stabilization within the third-party safer gambling sector, which faced significant financial uncertainty earlier in the year following sweeping changes to treatment funding structures.
Stabilizing after the statutory levy transition
The UK’s implementation of the statutory levy marked a definitive break from the long-standing model where operators voluntarily made annual donations to research, treatment, and education systems overseen by GambleAware. Under the new statutory framework, contributions are collected and overseen by the National Health Service across England, Scotland, and Wales, with the NHS leading on clinical treatment.
Meanwhile, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities handles the distribution of funds dedicated to prevention, and UK Research and Innovation oversees research initiatives.
Initially, numerous gambling harm charities and prevention organizations warned that selective funding distribution could threaten their survival or force severe service limitations, prompting necessary interim adjustments like Gamban’s subscription model.
With the arrival of fresh funding allocations from OHID, the platform can once again deliver its protective software without charging end users. This builds upon earlier progress in April, when Gamban restored free services in Wales as part of the Welsh government’s renewed national strategy to combat gambling harms.
Reflecting on the funding milestone, Gamban shared its gratitude:
“Despite our disappointment at the initial decision, which meant Gamban could no longer be free in England, everyone in our company was heartened by the messages of support from other organisations in the gambling harm prevention sector expressing how much they value the work we do and to keep going. This funding gives us an important opportunity to work with partners across the sector to make that protection available to more people, free of charge.”
