RIGT Funding Review

21 September 2007 - For immediate release

Responding to the announcement of the review of industry funding of gambling research, treatment and public education, RIGT Chairman John Greenway MP said today: “This is a golden opportunity for the gambling industry to demonstrate that the current voluntary funding arrangement can work by ensuring that all contributions due under the terms agreed are paid by Christmas. This would enable the Trust to give essential reassurance about funding to GamCare and Gordon House.

“This is also a chance to reconsider what is the right structure going forward to meet the aspiration of both the Government and Industry to keep problem gambling numbers low.

“The industry should be congratulated for the support it has given in recent years, but we all recognise that there is more to do.”

Mr Greenway will be meeting the Gambling Commission next week to discuss how they intend to take forward the review and likely timetable for consultation. RIGT has also called a meeting of major donors for 5th October.

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Notes to editors

For further information or to request an interview with John Greenway, please call 020 7219 5483 email fitchs@parliament.uk, or Ron Finlay at Fishburn Hedges on 020 7544 3011, email ron.finlay@fishburn-hedges.com.

The Responsibility in Gambling Trust (www.rigt.org.uk) is Britain’s largest funding body for treatment, research and education about problem gambling. In the last five years it has spent £6 million on tackling problem gambling.

The Trust is neither for nor against gambling, instead it focuses on preventing and treating the harms caused by problem gambling. It is funded mostly by the gambling industry but is completely independent and has a majority of trustees who come from academia, faith groups, the gambling regulator and parliament.