At the 2025 Gambling Reform Summit, UK Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross outlined the government’s vision for the future of gambling, one that promotes industry innovation while strengthening consumer protections.
The event, hosted by Peers for Gambling Reform and chaired by Lord Foster of Bath, featured strong calls for stricter regulation of gambling products and marketing practices. Despite facing criticism, Twycross acknowledged the difficulty of balancing economic growth with effective safeguards but emphasized that these goals are not mutually exclusive.
Her recent comments reaffirm the government’s commitment to building a sector that can expand economically while still protecting players from the risks associated with betting. That means pushing operators to adopt stronger safeguards, invest in sustainable practices, and prove that profit does not come at the expense of consumer welfare. At its core, this is about creating a market that not only thrives financially but also ensures that players can participate with confidence.
For players trying to make sense of what these changes mean for them, it’s important to look beyond the headlines. Understanding how new rules and expectations affect your own gambling choices is just as crucial as knowing what protections are in place. It’s all about gambling responsibly, which is why players should read this informative and useful guide by NoDepositRewards.org, which breaks down safe gambling strategies and highlights trustworthy platforms. As reforms continue to unfold, resources like this help players stay informed, gamble responsibly, and ultimately make smarter decisions in a changing environment.
Unpacking the Statutory Levy
The introduction of a statutory levy, which has been anticipated for many months, marks a major shift in the UK’s approach to tackling gambling-related harm. Announced at the summit, the new measure replaces the previous voluntary contribution model with a structured, legally enforced funding system aimed at delivering long-term support for public health and prevention efforts. Twycross described levy as a crucial step toward building a more accountable and better-resourced system.
Designed to raise £100 million each year, the levy will be calculated based on a sliding scale, with operators contributing between 0.1% and 1.1% of their gross gambling yield (GGY), depending on the nature and risk level of their services. This tiered model is intended to ensure fairness, balancing the financial realities of different sectors while holding the industry responsible for funding solutions to the harm it may cause. All licensed operators must make their first payments by October 1, 2025.
To safeguard the integrity of the funding process, a new independent oversight body will be created. This board will manage how funds are allocated, track the effectiveness of spending, and ensure full transparency. Twycross confirmed that all funding decisions will be driven by evidence and public need, not industry or political interests.
While acknowledging the contributions made under the previous voluntary system, she stressed that a formalised, statutory levy offers greater consistency and accountability. The government’s goal, she said, is to establish a funding model that is both proportionate and sustainable, ensuring vital research, treatment, and support services have the backing they need, now and into the future.
The Importance of Independent Research Funding
Another key topic addressed at the summit was the critical importance of independent research funding, underscoring longstanding concerns about the influence of industry money on gambling-related studies. The discussion was prompted by an April parliamentary health committee report, which raised serious concerns about potential bias in research previously funded under the now-defunct voluntary levy system, where gambling operators indirectly supported studies through large charitable contributions.
Academics and public health experts stressed that without financial independence, research risks losing its credibility and impact. Professor Sam Chamberlain of the University of Southampton noted that while not all industry-funded work is flawed, the current structure, where one major charity distributes industry money to researchers, raises questions about objectivity and transparency.
In response, Twycross sought to reassure delegates that the new mandatory levy would include strict safeguards to protect the integrity of research moving forward. She acknowledged that one of the biggest concerns facing the sector is whether studies can truly be trusted if their funding originates from sources with a commercial stake in the outcome. Twycross committed to ensuring that conflicts of interest will be identified and properly managed, with new processes in place to eliminate any lingering influence from previous funding arrangements.
