UKGC Withholds Betknowmore Donation Data
Regulator cites public availability for data that appears to be less detailed and outdated than requested.
The UK Gambling Commission has declined to release specific quarterly donation figures for the charity Betknowmore, citing that the information is available elsewhere. However, the publicly available data is less detailed and outdated, raising questions about transparency in funding for gambling harm services.
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UKGC Declines to Specify Charity Funding Figures
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has withheld specific financial details regarding donations made to a prominent gambling harm charity, a recent Freedom of Information (FOI) disclosure reveals. The response raises questions about the transparency of funding for essential support services.
In a request dated 17 June 2024, an applicant asked the UKGC to provide the amount of Research, Education, and Treatment (RET) donations received by the charity Betknowmore for three consecutive quarters in 2023:
- April to June 2023
- July to September 2023
- October to December 2023
These RET contributions are mandatory payments from gambling operators, designed to fund initiatives that tackle and prevent gambling-related harm. For consumers, the flow of this funding is a key indicator of the industry's commitment to player protection.
Information Withheld
The UKGC declined to provide the specific quarterly figures. In its response, the regulator cited Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which provides an exemption for information that is “reasonably accessible elsewhere.”
The Commission directed the applicant to its website page titled “List of organisations for operator contributions.” However, an analysis of this page and its linked documents shows a discrepancy between the information requested and the information provided.
The publicly available data consists of a list of annual pledges from operators to various charities, last updated on 27 July 2023. This is fundamentally different from the actual amounts received by a specific charity on a quarterly basis, which is what the FOI request sought. Crucially, as the public data was last updated in July 2023, it could not contain the figures for the final two quarters requested.
Significance for Consumers and Transparency
The response highlights a potential gap in the transparency of the RET funding system. While the UKGC points to public records, those records do not offer the granular, timely detail needed to scrutinise the flow of money from operators to the organisations providing frontline support for gambling harm.
Without access to specific, up-to-date donation data, it is difficult for consumers, researchers, and watchdog organisations to assess:
- The consistency and timeliness of funding for vital services.
- Whether pledged amounts translate into actual, timely payments.
- The financial health and stability of the charities consumers rely on for support.
This lack of detailed public information makes it challenging to hold the industry and the regulatory framework to account, obscuring a critical component of the UK's strategy to make gambling safer.