UK Gambling Harm: A Public Health Shift

UK Gambling Harm in 2025, a year of change 2025 was a landmark year in the UK’s

response to gambling harm, with major policy, health, and public scrutiny

developments. What was once treated as an individual issue became recognised as a public-health

concern. In the Autumn Budget, the government taxed online gambling products according

to the harm they cause, not just the revenue they generate. This marked a historic

shift, placing gambling alongside alcohol and tobacco in public-health policy.

The introduction of a statutory gambling levy raised nearly £120 million in its first year.

For the first time, prevention, treatment and research were funded independently of the gambling