GambleAware announced Sian G. Griffiths as the new chair of its trustees. She was previously president of UK Faculty of Public Health.
Griffiths, who has served as GambleAware’s deputy chairman for several years and chaired the performance and delivery committee of that organization, will assume this role on July 18.
She was a non-executive associate member on the advisory board and chaired Public Health England’s global health committee until September 2021, when it disbanded. Griffiths also serves as a Non-Executive Director for Public Health Wales.
Griffiths was also the chairperson of Hong Kong’s SARS Inquiry in 2003. In 2003, Griffiths was appointed founding director of Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Griffiths stated, “I’m delighted to accept the appointment and continue to work with GambleAware in order to make sure gambling harms is viewed as an important public health concern.”
The charity has always been independent from the gambling industry, and this is evident in all of its work. As we move to a statutory funding model, I am looking forward to working with public health experts and my colleagues on the GambleAware Board to continue these efforts.
GambleAware says goodbye to Lampard, who has served for many years.
Griffiths replaces Baroness Kate Lampard who has been chair of the board since 2016 and is now stepping down. Lampard will leave to head the Lampard Inquiry which investigates mental health inpatient deaths in Essex.
Lampard, as chair of the board, was the leading advocate for a statutory industry funding levy, which would replace the voluntary system. The government supported this in its white paper on the Gambling Act.
Lampard led his charity in the expansion of its gambling harms program. The National Gambling Support Network was recommissioned in collaboration with the NHS, the Government and other third-sector organizations.
Lampard stated, “I am happy to leave the charity to Sian’s capable hands.” Lampard said: “I’m proud of the work we have done and I am pleased to see the growth in the gambling harms program and the charity over the last eight years.
I wish Sian and GambleAware all the very best in the future.
GambleAware donations to increase in 2023-24
GambleAware, which released a report last month on the total amount of voluntary donations for 2023-24, reported that 13.8% had been raised. Members of the industry contributed PS49.5m ($63.4m/EUR58.6m) over a 12-month period.
Most of the money (94%) came from four UK gambling companies: Flutter (now Evoke), Entain (now Bet365), and William Hill.
Charity Commission Investigation ongoing
The Good Law Project complained to the Charity Commission that GambleAware failed to give unbiased information about its services to those it was meant to assist.
Will Prochaska is an independent campaigner for gambling reform. He filed a complaint alleging that GambleAware trustees do not meet the charity’s goals to provide sufficient education on gambling harm due to “reliance” on industry funding.
Zoe Osmond, chief executive of GambleAware, defended her charity and believes that the complaint will be dismissed. Commission is still assessing whether to intervene.
Update: The original story stated that a complaint was made against GameAware on behalf of the charity Gambling With Lives. However, Prochaska left Gambling With Lives and became a campaigner for industry in February 2024.
