GAT Annual Report 2019
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ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2019I TABLE OF CONTENTS About Gambling Awareness Trust 01 Company Type Period Covered Charitable Status 02 Board of Directors Chairperson Statement 03 CEO Statement Mission & Vision 04 2019 Key Actions Financial Statements 05 Income Statement Financial Position Changes in Equity Cash Flow Notes to Financial Statements Supplementary Information II ABOUT GAMBLING AWARENESS TRUST Gambling Awareness Trust (GAT) is an Independent charity established in 2019 to fund research, education, and treatment services to help minimise gambling related harm in Ireland. The Trust is funded by donations from the online and retail betting and gaming industry in Ireland. Company Charitable Period Type Status Covered The Gambling Awareness Gambling Awareness Trust This annual report Trust was incorporated under is a registered charity, CHY covers the period the Companies Act 2014 20152260 January 1 to December Monday, the 12th day of June 31, 2019. 2017 as a limited company. Company number 605821. Registered Oice: 25 – 28 North Wall Quay, Dublin 1 Solicitors: A&L Goodbody Solicitors, IFSC, Dublin 1 D01 H104 Bankers: Allied Irish Bank, 7-12 Dame Street, Dublin 2 D02 KX20 Auditors: RBK Chartered Accountants, RBK House, Irishtown, 01 Athlone, Co. Westmeath N37 XP52 01 OUR COMPANY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Tom Hayes Willie Collins John Forde Chairperson Secretary Kathleen Lynch Gillian Hussey Riona Heernan Treasurer 0202 CHAIRPERSON’S STATEMENT 2019 represented the first operational year for GAT as a professional organisation in the NGO sector in Ireland. The Trust was founded as an independent charity in 2018 with the establishment of a board of trustees, individuals concerned with the increase in problem gambling across the country and the absence of a meaningful response in addressing these problems for vulnerable individuals and their families and the subsequent impacts identified on a societal level. Acknowledging the hiatus in the appointment We are confident that this study will oer of a Regulator and enactment of the Gambling significant insight for all agencies whose focus Control Bill, the board recognised the is on addressing harmful gambling and immediate need for an independent structured gambling disorder across the country. funding body to select and fund services to Issuing our first call for expressions on interest meet the requirements of those coping with the in 2019 was an extremely positive experience far-reaching problems associated with harmful for GAT resulting in the allocation of half a gambling and gambling addiction. million euro in funding to four excellent The Board of GAT is comprised of individuals projects, all focused on meeting needs and from across civic society who volunteer their addressing areas of treatment, information, time and use their expertise and experience to education and supports for individuals and focus on the development of a robust strategy their families. to address the problems associated with the The appointment of our CEO, Pam Bergin has growing issue of gambling harm in Ireland. contributed to the eective and professional Having received a commitment from the Irish delivery of the vision and mission of GAT and Bookmakers Association to contribute annually we look forward to broadening our profile as to the Trust through a social responsibility fund, the lead funding agency in the field of we are confident going forward that others in gambling harm and supporting the the Gambling Industry will support our development of a range of services in areas of evidence based strategy in addressing the three treatment, recovery, mental health, education key areas in our plan, namely Research, and awareness in the years ahead. Education and Treatment. Recognising the need for comprehensive Is mise le meas authoritative research in the area of gambling Tom Hayes and gambling harm in an Irish context, GAT Chairperson commissioned NUI Maynooth to conduct a one-year study as a scoping exercise to examine the knowledge base and evidence on gambling and problem gambling in Ireland. Dr Aphra Kerr, Prof. John O’ Brennan and Dr Lucia Vazquez-Mendoza at the Department of Sociology and the Maynooth Social Sciences Institute (MUSSI) have thus far completed phase I of the project with Phase II currently underway. 0303 C.E.O. STATEMENT Since its launch in 2019 GAT has established itself as a strong and independent charity dedicated to ensuring the negative impacts of harmful gambling and gambling disorder are responded to through the provision of funding to agencies and organisations across the country who focus on research, treatment, education and awareness of the overarching issues associated with problem gambling. In 2019, GAT recognised the urgency to make significant funding towards the research aspect headway in this area while awaiting a coherent of our plan and demonstrated this in 2019 response from government in relation to through commissioning a national research enacting the Gambling Control Bill 2013. This study with NUI Maynooth as a scoping exercise progress got underway with the receipt of to explore current data availability, legislation, contributions from the Irish Bookmakers regulation, policy, service provision and models Association’s social responsibility fund of almost of best practice. This study once finalised will be €800,000 which represents donations from a an important document not only for informing large number of both land-based and online the GAT strategic plan going forward, but for all gambling operators in the Irish market. It is agencies both statutory and non-statutory envisaged that all licence holders not currently working in the field of harmful gambling. contributing to the fund will feel confident about The allocation of funding towards treatment, doing so in 2020. support, and awareness projects through GATs GAT has an eminent group of non-industry initial call for expressions of interest in 2019 was trustees, who oversee the charity’s work and an extremely encouraging experience for the who have a keen understanding of the need to organisation. The Board of Trustees are be financially sound and prudent, as well as committed to continuing to build on the trusted transparent and accountable, in order to partnerships that currently exist and will generate widespread trust and credibility in the carefully oer funding that is aordable and organisation’s independence and integrity. sustainable, maximising GATs impact within the Gambling and its individual and collective social resources it can reasonably predict will be impact are an increasing concern in Ireland available in 2020 and beyond. GAT will seek to currently. There has been minimal large-scale broaden the range of services and activities it academic research on gambling behaviour and supports and works with in the future including its impact in an Irish context, but we know that general public awareness-raising, education, there are an estimated 40,000 problem gamblers and early intervention and prevention work, in Ireland based on the 2014/15 NACDA particularly among young people and prevalence survey. Given the exponential vulnerable communities, as well as exploring changes in the gambling landscape during the how the charity might support the years since the publication of this report we are development of training and CPD for addiction acutely aware of the need for contemporary students and practice sta. comprehensive research to provide a fuller I wish to thank the board for their support and picture of the current challenges across the diligence in driving GAT forward and I look multifaceted arena of problem gambling in forward to working with them in achieving our Ireland. GAT are committed to allocating aims in 2020. Pam Bergin 0404 CEO GAT MISSION Mission Statement The Gambling Awareness Trust is an Independent charity founded to establish and operate a charitable fund which will finance gambling addiction counselling, prevention, education, research, and awareness services in Ireland. GAT VISION Our vision is that fewer people in Ireland Our values guide our behaviour and shape suer from gambling-related harms and that everything we do. We are committed to: those who do can easily access relevant Integrity – We will act in an honest and professional services. consistent manner in everything that we do. We work to achieve our vision by making it The integrity of our members will be visible our mission to: through our actions, words, decisions, • Ensure approved, professional, and skilled methods, and outcomes. We will never service providers have funding to provide compromise the truth. supports including addiction counselling, Accountability – We are committed to education, and gambling awareness services being fully accountable and transparent in Ireland about how financial donations to the Trust • Invest in comprehensive research in the area are used and to ensuring all funds are being of problem gambling and gambling applied eectively to help prevent and addiction that makes a positive and practical overcome gambling addiction. dierence to reducing gambling-related harms in Ireland, including an Irish Gambling Collaboration – We will work Prevalence report passionately with all stakeholders and will • Invest in education, prevention, and the strive collectively to achieve the highest most eective interventions to reduce levels of professional excellence. gambling-related harms within the resources Equality – We believe in the equal value of available every human