GambleAware Legacy Report

Over the past two decades, GambleAware has played a central role in shaping Great Britain’s response to gambling harms. As the organisation prepares for closure following the introduction of statutory commissioning arrangements, this report reflects on its role in helping to build research, prevention and treatment systems across England, Scotland and Wales.

This Legacy Report documents GambleAware’s evolution from a small sector-specific charity into a strategic commissioner and system leader, operating within a complex and often contested policy environment.

The report draws on interviews with stakeholders across the gambling harms sector, focus groups, documentary analysis and a review of existing research and evaluation evidence. It examines how GambleAware helped reframe gambling harm as a public health issue; how it built national commissioning infrastructure and strengthened third-sector capacity; and how it embedded evidence and lived experience into strategic decision-making.

It also considers the challenges GambleAware faced, particularly in operating under a voluntary levy model and in navigating sustained scrutiny regarding its independence. These contextual factors shaped both the organisation’s development and the wider sector’s trajectory.

With the introduction of a statutory levy in April 2025 and the transfer of commissioning responsibilities to government-appointed bodies, GambleAware’s role concludes in March 2026. This transition marks a significant structural shift in the governance and funding of gambling harm services in Great Britain.

This report does not seek to provide a definitive account of sector reform. Rather, it offers a considered reflection on the systems built over the past twenty years, the leadership approaches adopted, and the lessons that may inform the next phase of statutory commissioning.

The full report is available below.