In 2017, Kate Lampard became chair of the Responsible Gambling Trust, the organisation now known as GambleAware, a charity commissioning prevention and treatment services in partnership with organisations such as NHS; it commissions the National Gambling Treatment Service, produces prominent public health campaigns, provides practical support to local services, ensures the industry has no influence on commissioning decisions and conducts its own independent research and evaluation of addiction-prevention methods. The charity is led by an independent board of trustees, most of whom have a background in the health sector – reflecting the charity’s core medical and data-driven foundations. Originally a barrister, she has held a number of senior public-sector positions including chair of South of England Strategic Health Authority. While she describes herself as “not easily shocked” – having led the investigations into Jimmy Savile and the Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre – she says attitudes populating the gambling industry “stunned” her, as has the lack of female representation. In April 2021, GambleAware announced a new strategy: a longer-term financial commitment guaranteed by UK gambling operators to help fund the charity’s RET directives. The first three quarters of 2020 saw the charity receive a total of £4.5 million from the industry.
