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About the funds used to support funding opportunities offered by the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling (AFSG)
Funds used for the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling (AFSG) funding opportunities originate from regulatory settlements for socially responsible purposes. Though these funds originate from the bank accounts of gambling operators, they differ significantly from other projects funded using gambling industry funds in several important ways:
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Regulatory settlement funds come from involuntary payments from gambling operators. They are “a payment in lieu of the financial penalty the Gambling Commission (GC) might otherwise impose for breach of a licence condition”. Further, “there is to be no publicity or benefit for the operator in connection with the regulatory settlement” and the operator has no control over, or is even permitted to communicate with, the organisation provided those funds (in this case Greo), except to carry out the necessary financial transactions. Decisions regarding the awarding of regulatory settlement funds are made by the Social Responsibility Funds Group. Once awarded, there is no influence exerted on projects funded using regulatory settlement funds by the GC other than monitoring to ensure milestones described in successful proposals are being met.
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Research funds awarded by the AFSG are disseminated via a transparent, peer review process. Funds originating from regulatory settlement funds are provided to the AFSG and Greo who then disseminate the funds to researchers via a transparent peer review process similar to that employed by research councils in the UK, Canada, and elsewhere. Before working in the UK, Greo, formerly known as the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre (OPGRC) oversaw the tendering of research internationally. From 2000 to 2012, the OPGRC was the largest funder of gambling research in the world. These funds came from a levy; 2% of slot machine revenue generated by most casinos in Ontario, Canada to fund research, prevention, and treatment of problem gambling. In 2012 the government of Ontario revised their approach and redirected these funds back into general provincial revenue. Greo’s processes and governance for granting research funds during this time were based on the processes used by the Canadian tri-council (three national government bodies that fund research in Canada) and later updated to incorporate policies and procedures employed by the National Institute for Health Research.
Some argue funding for gambling research should be provided by UK national research councils. However, until that is manifest, there is a practicality in using funds that are currently available. The AFSG and Greo provide governance and oversee distribution of the funds to ensure they are distributed via a credible, transparent, peer-reviewed process that minimises potential bias, manages confidentiality, strengthens the integrity of the findings, and respects the intellectual property of the researchers.