The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has instructed recipients of statutory levy funding not to attend or take part in industry-funded events, according to BetBlocker trustee and founder Duncan Garvie.
Writing on LinkedIn following the conclusion of iGB Live 2026 – which BetBlocker attended – Garvie said the finalisation of the grant agreement was delayed and he had only found out a week before the event that the “information included an expectation that awardees would not participate in, or attend, any industry-funded events”.
“BetBlocker’s participation in iGB Live was agreed long before the award announcements were made and, with only days to go, it was far too late for us to pull out of this event when we received this clear policy from OHID last week,” he wrote.
“Beyond concerns about this event specifically however, I have significant concerns about the potential for this policy to detrimentally impact outcomes for service users.”
BetBlocker was one of 33 gambling-related harm research, education and treatment (RET) organisations that received a portion of the £25.4m fund distributed by OHID in April.
GamCare was given £4m, the largest amount, while BetBlocker was allocated £1.1m.
As part of the application process, organisations had to commit to not receive any direct industry funding, a change from the previous system where operators were obliged to donate up to 1.1% of their gross gambling yield.
With that no longer an option, Garvie added that “we’ve taken the biggest step towards ensuring no inappropriate influence occurs” and called for a level-headed approach so people suffering from gambling-related harm are supported.
The statement highlighted conversations the BetBlocker trustee and founder had at the two-day event held in London, including with Gamecheck and Brazilian company EBAC, which handles interactions and management of people showing signs of gambling-related harm in the South American country.
Garvie said those conversations could lead to change for BetBlocker or support for other organisations, noting it would not be possible if the company was not able to attend industry-funded events.
He added: “The loss of the opportunity to foster critical relationships with other stakeholders with whom we can learn from, cooperate or support would be profound.
“It would result in BetBlocker offering an inferior service, being less equipped to meet the needs of our users and being in a weaker position to reach the populations that need our support.
“Those are the real-world consequences of BetBlocker opting out of the opportunity to meet and speak with other practitioners in the space that this type of event facilitates.
“However, there is a much more profound and wide-reaching consequence to the entire harm-minimisation infrastructure being discouraged, or prohibited, from engaging with the industry.
“The most effective way to reduce harm is at the top of the funnel. Where the industry acts more proactively to intervene and prevent harm, fewer people will reach a point of crisis.
“But if we explicitly prevent all of the experts in the field of harm reduction from interacting with the industry, how can we expect industry practices to improve? We cannot both withhold knowledge and insight while expecting improvements in culture and practice from operators.”
In recent weeks, at least three organisations that were excluded from statutory levy funding have mounted legal challenges.
Gamban is pursuing a judicial review, while two registered charities are also in the process of submitting applications for a judicial review – a court procedure where a judge scrutinises the lawfulness of an action or decision made by a public body.
EGR has reached out to OHID for comment.
The post OHID bars levy-funded bodies from industry-funded events, says BetBlocker founder first appeared on EGR Intel.
Duncan Garvie says organisations awarded statutory levy funding have been told they cannot attend or participate in any gambling trade shows
The post OHID bars levy-funded bodies from industry-funded events, says BetBlocker founder first appeared on EGR Intel.