Gambling harm prevention charity BetBlocker has hired a London law firm to write to NHS Wales and raise questions about the decision to award a £220,000 contract without putting it out to a competitive tender.
In February, NHS Wales announced private company Gamban had secured the “direct award” to provide its self-exclusion tool free of charge to gamblers in Wales when accessed through the national gambling helpline, treatment pathways and other commissioned services.
NHS Wales is paying Southampton-based Gamban £182,200 before VAT and £218,640 including VAT for a potential two-year agreeement.
The term of the deal is one year – from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 – with a possible extension of a further 12 months to 31 March 2028, yet EGR understands solicitors acting for BetBlocker have urged NHS Wales not to extend the contract beyond 31 March 2027.
EGR also understands BetBlocker is confident it could have fulfilled the contract for less than £30,000.
When announcing the award, NHS Wales said Gamban “is the only product of its kind currently commissioned and in active use across Wales” despite the fact BetBlocker supported 1,023 active users in Wales in 2025 and more than 450 in 2026.
A BetBlocker statement supplied to EGR read: “We have significant concerns over the award of this contract and particularly with NHS Wales’ decision to make a direct award to one provider without going through the typical process of a competitive tender.
“The explanation that no one else could provide adequate and appropriate blocking software is self-evidently wrong.
“Our legal advisers have written to NHS Wales reminding them of their duties under the legislation and the importance of taking proper steps to secure value for public money. We have also asked for reassurances that this will not happen again.”
NHS Wales has previously said the Gamban contract is “time-limited” and intended as an “interim measure” while parallel work is undertaken in Wales and with UK partners “to develop a sustainable, longer-term approach to gambling harm prevention”.
Earlier this month, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) announced that BetBlocker – a Scotland-registered charity that restricts access to around 350,000 gambling websites – is to be provided with £1.12m over two years to support gambling-related harm prevention in England.
The body, which is the commissioner for the statutory levy following the closure of GambleAware, allocated a total of £25.4m to more than 33 VCSE (voluntary, community and social enterprise) groups.
BetBlocker’s allocation of £560,000 a year covers a population of around 59 million in England, versus the approximate three million inhabitants of Wales.
The statutory levy is allocated on a devolved basis, meaning that while OHID is the commissioner for England, the Welsh government handles funding in its own jurisdiction.
The Welsh government subsequently appointed Public Health Wales as the lead prevention co-ordinator for Wales and NHS Wales Performance and Improvement as the lead treatment co-ordinator for Wales.
In February, it was announced the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board had been awarded £1.3m to run a new treatment service and helpline to support those suffering from gambling-related harm.
The board already operates other helplines for drugs, alcohol and mental health. The new service went live at the start of April.
Founded in 2015 by Jack Symons and Matt Zarb-Cousin, Gamban wasn’t included in the OHID funding “on the basis of its entity being a limited company”, the firm stated on its website at the end of March.
The decision means the self-exclusion tool is no longer provided for free in England and Scotland. Gamban now operates in both countries as a subscription-only service costing £4.99 a month or £29.99 a year.
When contacted by EGR, NHS Wales said it can’t comment on a live legal matter. Gamban’s Zarb-Cousin declined to comment.
The post Exclusive: BetBlocker calls in lawyers over NHS Wales self-exclusion contract award first appeared on EGR Intel.
Scotland-registered charity says it has “significant concerns” about the potential two-year contract handed to Gamban without “going through the typical process of a competitive tender”
The post Exclusive: BetBlocker calls in lawyers over NHS Wales self-exclusion contract award first appeared on EGR Intel.