Gambling In Scotland
A Glasgow Councillor has raised concerns surrounding the UK Government’s new gambling levy. Councillor Laura Doherty has said that while she welcomes the levy, she would like a clearer view of how the money will be spent locally.
Glasgow is one of the UK’s hotspots for sports betting. The Scottish city has the second-highest number of bookmakers in the UK, coming in just behind London. Figures show that up to one in fifteen people in the city could be at risk of gambling harm, making it one of the affected areas in the UK.
The new levy, which was announced last month, aims to raise up to £100m a year from the gambling industry. The government has promised that this money will then be funnelled into helping local communities and providing further support for those facing gambling harm, as well as funding more research.
This will replace the existing voluntary levy, which sees some companies pay as little as £1 to help prevent gambling harm.
Unclear Plan
Councillor Doherty has stated that while she supports the levy, she would like to see clearer plans on how the funds will be allocated and how they will help Scottish communities that are in need of support.
Speaking about the levy and its allocation, Doherty said, “We must see equitable funding come directly to Scotland and Glasgow in order to fund treatment and support its work on addressing gambling harms.” She added that the treasury must design and deliver fair and proportionate funding plans that will help communities.
Doherty believes that Glasgow is best placed to help with research and provide a centre of excellence to help tackle these problems. She said, “Glasgow is best positioned as a city to develop a UK centre of excellence in addressing gambling harms, to fund research, education and treatment of gambling harms as outlined in the announcement.”
