News
GamCare welcomes Strategy Board launch and hopes for rapid, and informed, decision-making
26 February 2009
New GamCare Chief Executive Andy McLellan said “We welcome – and indeed were the first to propose – the creation of the Strategy Board. As many who have struggled before with these issues will acknowledge, developing a strategy to help problem gamblers and encourage responsible gambling is no easy task. It is a complex matter requiring experience and expertise as well as fresh thinking and thorough analysis. I hope that the Board has the right mix of knowledge, experience and expertise, and the resources, to succeed.”
“GamCare has built up a national and international reputation over the years in meeting the needs of problem gamblers and we will do all we can to support the work of the Board. The important thing now is to get on with the task, and to do it quickly. GamCare has no certainty about funding from April onwards, regardless of whether it is to be raised from a levy or voluntarily. The only indication of funding we have been given so far would mean we could have less, in real terms, than we received in 2008/9. This means that we cannot develop our services as we planned and that many problem gamblers who could be helped will be denied support. I will be seeking early meetings with Dame Julia Neuberger, the Gambling Commission and the Minister to seek to remedy this unsatisfactory situation.”