It seems that things might get a little bit more costly for gambling firms operating in the UK market.

levy to fund NHS treatment programs for gambling addicts

According to the Mail on Sunday, a source familiar with the upcoming gambling white paper confirmed the UK government will likely require gambling operators to pay a mandatory levy to fund NHS treatment programs for gambling addicts. Affected companies will include 888-owned William Hill and Entain’s Ladbrokes, among many others.

GB News presenter Andrew Pierce took to Twitter to share the news of what he ventured would be a “popular” new government tax:

The Mail’s government source said the introduction of a new levy is a spinoff from the imminent white paper on gambling reform, which seeks to “give people the choice and freedom to gamble responsibly, while preventing addictive and harmful gambling.”

The UK daily added that because of discrepancies in scale of the various UK gambling firms, it will fall upon the UK Gambling Commission to organize a consultation. The regulator will assess its licensees’ different profit and revenue to present a balanced levy payable by all industry players.

While the NHS has said it will not accept voluntary contributions from gambling brands due to conflict of interest, receiving money via a government tax route will neatly avoid any such issues. A mooted addiction levy debate from 2022 gives a key insight into the prevailing NHS mindset regarding this subject.