Glasgow City Council has secured £3.44m in funding over the next three years to strengthen local initiatives addressing gambling harm. The investment stems from the newly established British Gambling Levy and will primarily support The Glasgow Project.
The funds will finance prevention programs within schools and youth services, specifically targeting young people facing gambling debt. Plans also include training for health and community service workers, alongside targeted interventions in three neighborhoods with high betting shop density.
Future Priorities and UK Context
For the 2026–27 period, priorities include recruiting additional prevention staff and launching a specialist financial inclusion service. A recent council report noted that gambling harm costs Glasgow over £15m annually, the highest figure in Scotland, with approximately 42% of betting outlets located in the city’s most deprived areas.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently confirmed new powers allowing local authorities to reject betting shop applications. The statutory levy, introduced in April 2025, replaces the previous voluntary model and generates approximately £100m annually. While the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has distributed £25.4m to organizations in England, Public Health Wales has separately announced a £700,000 annual program for community-led initiatives.
This funding builds on earlier public health initiatives. In January 2025, Public Health Scotland published findings mapping the city’s support networks and identifying key risk factors, following the council’s recognition of gambling harm as a public health issue.