The UK government has launched the country’s largest independent research centre focused on gambling-related harm, marking a significant expansion of evidence-based work in the sector. The new Gambling Harms Research UK (GHR-UK) Evidence Centre will be funded through the statutory gambling levy introduced last year.
Backed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the centre will receive part of the levy’s research allocation, with £22.1 million earmarked for gambling-harm research during the 2025-26 financial year. The initiative was announced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The project will be led by a consortium that includes the University of Glasgow, the University of Sheffield, Swansea University and King’s College London. Professor Heather Wardle of the University of Glasgow will direct the centre.
The new organisation is expected to coordinate a broad programme of research into gambling-related harm, while also expanding national research capacity and supporting collaboration between policymakers, academics, charities and public health bodies.
Research areas will include gambling in sport, online betting, links between gambling and video gaming, and the structural causes behind gambling harm. The centre will also oversee 19 Innovation Partnerships already operating under the wider GHR-UK framework.
UKRI said harmful gambling is estimated to cost the UK economy around £1.4 billion each year through impacts on healthcare, public services and the criminal justice system, alongside personal consequences including depression and suicide.
The launch comes amid growing criticism that gambling-harm research in Britain has historically lacked funding and independence. The new centre will operate without commercial gambling industry involvement, with UKRI stating that governance safeguards are designed to prevent outside influence on research outcomes.
Professor Wardle described the initiative as a “vital reset” for gambling-harm research in the UK, saying the new levy-funded system would allow for larger-scale and more rigorous independent studies.
The centre forms part of a broader UKRI gambling research programme, which already includes 32 rapid evidence reviews, four policy fellows and multiple partnership projects focused on prevention and treatment strategies.