Ygam Awarded a £300,000 Grant from Garfield Weston Foundation

Ygam has secured a two-year £300,000 grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation, which the gambling harm prevention charity said will strengthen its operations and infrastructure.

The grant will support Ygam’s model of harm prevention through education, research and raising of awareness. The Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded donor group which supports charities across a number of sectors in the UK. Since its establishment in 1958, the foundation has awarded grants totalling almost £1.7 billion.

What does Ygam do?

Ygam, which is short for Young Gamblers Education Trust, was set up by Lee Willows, a former gambling addict, in 2014. The charity offers free programmes and resources as part of its aim to build awareness about the dangers of gambling for young people in the digital age.

Ygam has so fair trained more than 35,000 delegates and reached an estimated 5.2 million children and young people since its inception.

Emily Tofield, Ygam CEO, said:

“We are incredibly grateful to The Garfield Weston Foundation for this significant support. This grant is not only an endorsement of our work and a vote of confidence in Ygam’s approach, but also a clear recognition of the importance and relevance of addressing the challenges facing young people and families across the UK.

This funding will enable us to deepen our impact and ensure that children and young people the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to navigate the risks of the digital world safely.”

GamCare’s worrying figures

News of Ygam’s additional funding follows the publishing of a report by GamCare showing the number of people seeking financial guidance from the gambling harms charity more than doubled in 2025, and the amount of debt reported by people last year also more than doubled.

According to GamCare, a total of 1,954 people sought support from its Money Guidance Service after experiencing gambling losses, which was up significantly from 923 people the year prior, reflecting an increase of 112%.

Total debt reported by people also soared, going up by 153% to £7.2 million; an average of £21,269 per person. This was up from £2.8 million total debt for 2024, where the average was £13,876 per person.

White Paper impacting online casino play

With regards to player harm, the next few years will show if gambling harm figures are impacted by the implementation of the terms of the 2023 Gambling White Paper.

The Gambling White Paper was one of the most significant publications in the history of gambling in the UK, setting out more than 60 proposals to update the country’s gambling laws.

Among the terms recommended were affordability checks, in an attempt to protect players spending a certain amount within a certain timeframe, improved identification checks, a statutory levy, and a cap on the maximum stakes on online slots at £5 for older adults and £2 for younger adults.

Problem gambling rates increasing

Research from British regulator the Gambling Commission showed the problem gambling rate in Great Britain rose to 2.7% for 2024. The number was published as part of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB).

The 2024 GSGB survey was the second of its kind to be published. Those two surveys have indicated problem gambling rates have been significantly higher than the data was showing in previous surveys published by the Commission.

The Commission previously announced that in the year to December 2022, a total of 0.2% of respondents classed as problem gamblers.