New Gambling Research Centre with Zero Ties to the Industry

by James Gibson, 21 May 2026

A national research centre dedicated to gambling harms should benefit from having no industry connections.

New gambling research centre isn’t tied to the industry © GregMontani, Pixabay

Key Facts:

• A national centre for gambling harms research will not be involved with commercial gambling
• The purpose of the centre is to independently collect data on gambling harms
• Gambling problems are estimated to cost the UK £1.4 billion per year

The Gambling Harms Research UK Evidence Centre is expected to benefit the research of gambling harms in the UK greatly. This is primarily because the centre won’t have any connections to commercial gambling.

The Gambling Levy will fund it and will be developed as a UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) project. The project aims to establish a stronger, more robust evidence base on gambling harms.

The three main areas of the Gambling Levy are research, treatment and prevention. The UK Gambling Commission and UKRI collectively direct 20% of the levy’s funds into research projects. In the 2025-26 financial year, this amounted to £22.1 million.

The centre’s funding comes from the £22.1 million set aside for research. The money has also supported Innovation Partnerships, policy fellowships and rapid evidence reviews.

The University of Glasgow will lead the development of the centre. Heather Wardle, who works there as Professor of Gambling Research and Policy, will oversee the work. The universities King’s College London, Sheffield and Swansea will also be involved.

The Size of Problem Gambling in the UK

The UKGC and other organisations have tried for many years to tackle problem gambling. However, it remains a problem and costs the UK roughly £1.4 billion each year. This is because of the many side effects of gambling addiction.

For example, being addicted to gambling can lead to depression and even suicide; people’s finances can also be negatively affected. These put pressure on the NHS and the criminal justice system.

There are also a host of other problems caused by gambling that don’t necessarily put pressure on public services, but are still significant. These include effects on family members and personal relationships.

Aims of the New Gambling Harms Research Centre

The centre will produce a wide range of research looking at the harmful effects of gambling. It will also support 19 Innovation Partnerships and explore creating new evidence from existing data.

The Innovation Partnerships will cover a range of similar and related topics. These include, but are not limited to, sport and gambling, gambling online, video games, in-depth causes of harm, causes of suicide, financial data and the role of algorithms.

Future Innovation Partnership investments are expected to look at the correlation between gaming and gambling. A significant link between the two could prove useful for helping to deal with gambling problems.

It’s long been argued by senior academic figures that research into gambling harms has hardly ever received enough funding. By training new researchers in gambling harms, the centre aims to have a positive impact on the field.

Lived experience has been touted as an important part of the centre. As such, Martin Jones has been hired as its lived experience lead. He brings to the table knowledge of suicide related to gambling.

He’s also worked with various organisations, including education bodies, treatment facilities, and charities. The centre wants those directly affected by gambling harms to proactively influence its research, not just offer opinions on decisions that have been made.

Benefits of Being Independent

For a long time, gambling research has been affected by funding from the wider gambling industry and influence from the industry itself. The new centre will be free from that.

It will also be able to operate without facing pressure from the gambling sector. The hope is that research will improve and that the way gambling harms are addressed will become more effective.