The Safer Online Gambling Group has announced that it has secured £40,000 worth of funding as it looks to scale up its work on the development of digital tools.
SOGG intends to use the tools to help prevent problem gambling behaviour in online bettors and plans to launch its first digital solution within three months.
The financial backing comes from the Inclusive Recovery Fund, available from UnLtd in partnership with Comic Relief and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
In addition, SOGG has been working closely with Entain, formerly known as GVC Holdings and the owner of the Ladbrokes Coral Group, as part its Changing for the Better Campaign.
Adam Bradford, director of SOGG, commented: “The funding is fantastic news. It means we can more effectively evaluate and scale up our work to help treat problem gambling behaviour more quickly through a range of digital tools.
“I know first-hand just how devastating the effects out of control online gambling can be on the wider family. This funding will help us make a huge difference where individuals are showing signs of problematic gambling.”
Of the £4.75m grants available from the UnLtd and Comic Relief’s Inclusive Recovery Fund, 72 per cent went to social organisations such as SOGG with first-hand experience of the issues they deal with.
SOGG, founded in 2019 by father and son team David and Adam Bradford, works across sectors to provide implementable solutions which support addicts and prevent gambling related harm.
The non-profit organisation aims to raise awareness of online gambling addiction, bring about support for gambling addicts under an NHS framework and work with operators and the government to tighten up gambling policy to protect vulnerable players.
Mark Norbury, chief executive of UnLtd, commented: “We were astonished at the quality and number of applications for this fund, demonstrating a clear and continuing funding gap for high-potential social entrepreneurs across a breadth of causes, communities, venture-types and sectors.
“Those funded today will be leading lights as we enter the next act of the coronavirus crisis – allowing us a glimpse of hope and optimism as the year draws to a close and we look further ahead to what comes next.”
