Glasgow City Council will receive €4.02 million over the next three years to expand its response to gambling-related harm, using funding generated through the UK’s statutory Gambling Levy.
The investment will support a broader public health strategy focused on prevention, early intervention, and targeted support for communities most affected by gambling harm.
Funding to Expand Prevention and Support
The funding will allow the council to strengthen existing programmes while introducing new initiatives aimed at reducing the social and financial consequences of gambling.
Planned measures include expanding prevention programmes in schools and youth services, providing specialist support for young people experiencing gambling-related debt, and delivering additional training for healthcare professionals, community organisations and frontline public service staff.
The council also intends to concentrate resources in three neighbourhoods with the highest density of betting shops, where gambling-related risks are considered greatest.
As part of the programme, The Glasgow Project will broaden its gambling harm services. Priorities for 2026–27 include recruiting additional prevention staff, re-establishing the city’s multi-agency gambling harm partnership, and launching a dedicated financial inclusion service to support individuals facing gambling-related debt.
Gambling Harm Carries Significant Social Cost
The investment follows a report presented to Glasgow’s Wellbeing, Equalities, Communities, Culture and Engagement Policy Committee, which estimated that gambling-related harm costs the city more than €17.55 million annually—the highest figure recorded in Scotland.
The report also found that 42% of Glasgow’s betting shops are located in the city’s most deprived communities, reinforcing the council’s decision to prioritise neighbourhood-based prevention and support initiatives.
Part of the UK’s New Gambling Levy
The funding is being distributed through the UK’s statutory Gambling Levy, introduced in April 2025 to replace the previous voluntary funding model administered by GambleAware.
The levy is expected to generate approximately €117 million annually, with funds allocated to research, prevention and treatment programmes across Great Britain.
Beyond Glasgow, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has already distributed €29.72 million to 33 voluntary and community organisations across England. In Wales, Public Health Wales has also launched a levy-funded programme offering community grants of up to €87,750 per year to support local gambling harm initiatives.
The Glasgow allocation reflects the growing shift toward treating gambling harm as a public health issue, with funding increasingly directed toward prevention and early intervention alongside treatment services.
