SOURCE: business.timesonline.co.uk

Neil Goulden, chief executive of gaming giant Gala Coral, is warning his industry that unless it makes a voluntary £4m donation to address problem gambling, it will likely face being hit with a statutory government levy.

Earlier this year the gaming industry agreed to raise £4m for a charity called the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RiGT). That money was to be used to commission research into gaming, for education and treatment.

So far, however, £1.7m is all that has been collected, and the bulk of that has come from the sector’s three big players: Lad-brokes, William Hill and Gala Coral.

They have agreed to put in £450,000 each. Goulden, who will issue his warning at an industry conference to be held tomorrow and attended by ministers and the Gambling Commission, said: “We are over £2m short of the target that we set. This is unacceptable. There can be no room for complacency about problem gambling within the industry, and companies must now make their contribution.”

He added: “If the industry will not voluntarily fund RiGT, we should not be surprised if a statutory levy is imposed on us. That would reflect badly on us as an industry.

“It is also likely to mean that smaller companies would end up paying more.”