GambleAware has taken steps to ensure it remains independent from the gambling industry, the Charity Commission has found as it closed its case into the charity.

The regulator opened a compliance case into the charity in May following concerns raised by the Good Law Project, a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to use the law to protect the interests of the public.

The GLP said at the time it was working with the campaigners Annie Ashton and Will Prochaska in calling for the regulator to investigate GambleAware’s links to the gambling industry.

But Zoe Osmond, chief executive of GambleAware, said this week the regulator wrote to the charity to confirm the case had been closed without criticism or findings against the organisation.

Osmond said: “The regulator has stated unequivocally that it is ‘assured that the trustees have taken appropriate steps to both ensure [GambleAware’s] independence from the gambling industry and to address reputational risks arising from its current funding model’.

“Importantly, the commission has also stated it is ‘satisfied that the charity’s reliance on industry funding does not impact on decision-making about its activities’. 

“We were pleased to see the commission acknowledge our robust policies and governance processes as well as the important role our Lived Experience Council plays in providing advice and direction to our activities, among others.”

The charity said it was wholly dedicated to advancing its charitable purposes for the public benefit.

“We have long called for the introduction of a statutory levy on the gambling industry to provide long-term sustainable funding for the treatment, support and prevention of gambling harms,” the charity said in a statement.

Hannah Greer, campaigns manager at the Good Law Project, said: “The Charity Commission’s assurance that GambleAware’s industry funding does not impact on decisions about its activities is at odds with the NHS, which has refused to accept funding from GambleAware for their gambling harm treatment clinics since 2022.

“If GambleAware was really acting in the public interest, it would stop parroting the industry line that the way to tackle gambling harm is through self-restraint.

“A gambling charity committed to helping people and holding the industry to account should be shining a light on gambling companies’ predatory tactics and highlighting the fact that 60 per cent of profits come from the 5 per cent of customers classified as ‘problem gamblers’ or ‘at risk’.”