PHAI Appoints Matt Gaskell as First International Gambling Advise

The Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) appointed Dr Matt Gaskell, MBE, as its first International Consultant on Gambling Policy on July 16. The Boston-based advocacy group confirmed the role will focus on regulation and accountability across the gambling, sports and technology sectors.

Dr Gaskell will work alongside Professor Mark Gottlieb, PHAI’s Executive Director, Dr Harry Levant, the institute’s Director of Gambling Policy, and Dr Richard Daynard, PHAI said. The institute did not disclose the duration, commercial terms or specific projects attached to the consultancy.

“I am honoured to join PHAI and bring my expertise to protecting the public from the unacceptable harms associated with the modern commercial gambling industry and its sports partners,” Dr Gaskell said.

Gottlieb said Dr Gaskell has pushed for accountability from gambling companies for years. Levant described Dr Gaskell as a colleague whose work has strengthened mental health and safety efforts in the sector.

In the UK, Dr Gaskell founded and leads gambling harm clinics across the north of England. He also sits on the World Health Organization’s Expert Group on Gambling and works as a licensed psychologist who treats gambling disorder and related harm.

King Charles III made Dr Gaskell a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2025 for his work with people harmed by gambling.

PHAI has not detailed how Dr Gaskell’s international mandate will operate, or which markets, regulators or legislative efforts he will advise on. The announcement gives no timetable for the institute’s next gambling policy projects.

💡TGJ Take

This appointment gives PHAI a direct line into the UK’s clinical and public-health debate at a time when gambling regulation increasingly focuses on product design, ad practices and operator duty of care. Operators should expect advocacy groups to use clinical evidence more often when they press for tighter controls. Dr Gaskell’s WHO role may also help PHAI frame gambling harm as a cross-border health issue rather than a market-by-market consumer protection question. The practical impact will depend on which policy proposals PHAI develops with him.