Gamban restores free gambling-blocking service in England

Gamban, the UK-focused gambling blocking software used for self-exclusion across betting and gaming operators, has confirmed it will return to offering its service free of charge in England, according to SBC News.

The move follows a similar change in Wales earlier this year and comes after the company secured funding from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and the Gambling Harms Prevention Fund.

Gamban had been forced to switch to a subscription-only model in England during a period of adjustment triggered by the introduction of the UK's statutory gambling harms levy, SBC News reported.

That levy replaced the long-standing arrangement under which operators made voluntary annual donations to the research, treatment and education system overseen by the now-closed GambleAware.

Contributions collected under the statutory levy are now administered by the National Health Service across England, Scotland and Wales, with the NHS leading on treatment services.

OHID is responsible for distributing funding for prevention activity, while UK Research and Innovation oversees the research strand of the new funding structure.

SBC News noted that the shift to the statutory system initially left a number of gambling harm charities and prevention organisations warning they could face closure or be forced to scale back services, given the selective nature of fund allocation.

Gamban's subscription model was one of the internal changes made in response to that funding uncertainty.

With fresh OHID funding now in place, the company said it had been able to reverse that decision for users in England, mirroring the free-access model it reinstated in Wales in April, where the Welsh government has been developing problem gambling support within its wider national strategy on gambling harm.

Gamban's platform allows people experiencing gambling-related harm to block access to gambling websites and apps, and its development has drawn on the lived experience of people who have themselves faced problem gambling.

In a statement reported by SBC News, Gamban said: "Despite our disappointment at the initial decision, which meant Gamban could no longer be free in England, everyone in our company was heartened by the messages of support from other organisations in the gambling harm prevention sector expressing how much they value the work we do and to keep going."

The company added: "This funding gives us an important opportunity to work with partners across the sector to make that protection available to more people, free of charge."

The reinstatement of free access in both Wales and England suggests the third-party gambling harm prevention sector is beginning to stabilise following the financial disruption caused by the transition to the statutory levy model earlier this year.