NHS opens Problem Gambling Clinic
by Karl Yu, Winneronline
07 Jan 09

Up until this point, the Responsibility in Gambling Trust charity was established to receive voluntary donations which would be used fund research and problem gambling-related projects but according to numerous reports, the RIGT is £1 million short this year and as a result, measures had to be taken.p>

According to the independent.co.uk, "Currently, 80 percent of the donations given to the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RIGT) come from just 30 major donors," and politicians will make donations mandatory.

Charging a flat fee across the board wouldn't make sense as the take varies from company to company so all tax rates won't be created equally. "Ministers are suggesting that larger online operators pay some £92,000 to £145,000 a year annually over the next three years, while bookmakers with more than 100 shops will pay up to £36,000 and the biggest bingo operators up to £77,000," reports The Financial Times UK.

The independent.co.uk said that smaller "on-course bookmakers" wouldn't be asked to contribute. Books and other gambling companies will have 12 weeks to put a last-minute voluntary donation system in place but a source told the Independent that the situation has become desperate and there is no time for dilly-dallying. "The clock is ticking," the Independent went on to say.

For more information, click here.