From 1 April 2026, NHS England took commissioning responsibility for the treatment of gambling-related harms in England, funded by the new statutory levy on gambling operators.

The national levy, worth approximately £100 million a year, came into effect in April 2025 and provides industry-independent, sustainable funding for the first time to support improvements in the management of gambling-harm in England, Scotland and Wales.

The national funding is being divided for harms treatment, research and prevention as follows:

• 50% for NHS England and appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales to commission treatment for gambling-related harm
• 20% for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Gambling Commission to lead on research
• 30% for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) to lead on gambling-related harm prevention in England, alongside Scottish and Welsh Governments.

NHS England’s commissioning responsibility covers the full gambling-harms treatment pathway, from referral and triage to aftercare and support with services being provided by a range of NHS and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations.

Funding awards for 2026-27 are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

It’s expected that in future integrated care boards will lead the commissioning of treatment and support pathways within their region for services that will be provided after 1 April 2027.