UK launches largest independent gambling harms research centre

The UK has launched its largest independent centre focused on researching gambling-related harms. Funding is provided through the statutory gambling levy introduced last year.

The Gambling Harms Research UK (GHR-UK) was announced on Thursday by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The Evidence Centre is aimed at strengthening the quality and scale of gambling harms research across Britain.

The initiative will be funded through UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) allocation from the statutory levy. It comes to £22.1m for the 2025-26 financial year.

Centre backed by major university consortium

The centre will be led by a consortium involving the Universities of Glasgow, Sheffield and Swansea, alongside King’s College London.

According to UKRI, the centre will coordinate a broad programme of research examining gambling harms, prevention measures and public policy. It will also oversee 19 Innovation Partnerships already operating under the GHR-UK framework.

Research areas will include gambling and sport, online gambling, video game-related gambling mechanics and wider structural drivers behind gambling-related harm.

The centre forms part of UKRI’s wider gambling research programme, which already includes 32 rapid evidence reviews and four policy fellows.

UKRI also indicated further research investment could focus on the growing overlap between gambling and video gaming.

Researchers call for independent evidence base

UKRI estimates that harmful gambling costs the UK economy around £1.4bn annually, alongside broader impacts on public health and the criminal justice system.

Professor Heather Wardle, director of the new centre and professor of gambling research and policy at the University of Glasgow, said gambling research had historically been overlooked and underfunded:

“New funding through the levy and UKRI marks a vital reset, strengthening the quality and scale of gambling harms research and ensuring policy is driven by rigorous, independent evidence.” Heather Wardle, Professor of Gambling Research and Policy at the University of Glasgow.

Wardle also stressed how important it was to involve people who had lived experience of gambling harm. This will be used to help shape future research priorities and outcomes.

Martin Jones, appointed as the centre’s lived-experience lead, said research needed to remain connected to the realities faced by affected individuals and families:

“We need to do much more to prevent these harms, and coordinating top-quality research will support this, especially by exploring the more complex areas around suicide, algorithms and financial data.” – Martin Jones

Debate over gambling harms continues

The launch is happening mid wider political and regulatory debate on gambling harms in the UK.

Earlier this week, the government outlined plans for a new illegal gambling task force designed to target unlicensed operators, illegal advertising and payment systems linked to black-market gambling.

MPs have also increasingly framed gambling advertising as a public health issue. Recent research found university students who gamble are losing more than £50 per week on average.

The issue of research independence has also been under scrutiny. During a parliamentary health and social care committee hearing in April 2025, gambling harms researchers raised concerns over historical industry influence on research funding and priorities.

UKRI said the new centre would operate under a governance and integrity framework. This would ensure independence from commercial gambling interests.