Gambling harms research grants

Open UKRI funding opportunity · Grant. Closes 2026-12-08. Total fund £18 million. Opportunity page: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/gambling-harms-research-grants/

Apply for funding that deepens understanding or supports solutions for the prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms.

To lead an application, you must be based at a research organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding.

This funding opportunity is open to research communities across all UKRI research councils. Interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approaches are encouraged.

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2 million, for up to three years.

UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

What we're looking for UKRI encourages organisations to support applicants in preparing well-planned, high-quality applications that are competitive for funding relative to the funding opportunity.

See AHRC funding guide for further information on submission rules.

Scope

Context

In April 2023, the Department for Culture, Media, and Sports (DCMS) published a white paper setting out the government’s plans for modernising regulation of the gambling sector. One of the key proposals in the white paper is the introduction of a statutory levy on gambling operators.

Following a public consultation, which ran from 17 October 2023 to 14 December 2023, and an analysis of the responses to the consultation, the government has introduced a statutory levy charged to all licenced gambling activity. This is at varying levels depending on the sector and nature of the gambling activity to ensure impacts are proportionate.

The statutory levy was introduced via secondary legislation and commenced in April 2025 with funding flowing later that year. The levy will be collected and administered by the Gambling Commission under the strategic direction of the government, replacing the current system of voluntary industry contributions.

Levy funding will be directed in specific proportions for…