EPIC Risk Management, the independent gambling harm minimization consultancy, and sports betting group GVC Holdings have formed a partnership which aims to minimize gambling related harm throughout the US.
The initiative will be funded by GVC Foundation US, the firm’s non-profit subsidiary which is dedicated to promoting responsible gambling. It aims to replicate EPIC’s successful European sports and education model.
Programs will run in 14 locations across the US in 2020 and 2021, covering New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, North Carolina, Colorado, DC, and the New England region.
“As the leading provider of advisory and education in problem gambling, EPIC Risk Management has done extraordinary work in Europe,” said Martin Lycka, trustee for GVC Foundation US and director of regulatory affairs at GVC Holdings. “Our partnership with EPIC in locations throughout the US will continue that impactful mission.”
The educational sessions will be provided to up-and-coming and professional athletes and focus on lived experiences with problem gambling and the promotion of betting integrity. GVC Foundation US will provide $2.5m to finance the initiative over the course of two years.
“For most people, gambling is entertainment – but for a small percentage of people it becomes uncontrolled, leading to devastating effects to both individuals and organizations,” said Paul Buck, CEO of EPIC Risk Management. “EPIC is excited to partner with GVC Foundation US to work in the hardest-to-reach sectors to prevent gambling-related harm.”
“There’s no better way to address problem gambling than by combining hard-hitting, lived experience with industry research and expertise,” said William J Pascrell III, trustee at GVC Foundation US and partner at Princeton Public Affairs Group. “By addressing athletes and other at-risk groups throughout the country, we’ll aim to implement the cultural change needed for the protection of at-risk gamblers and growth of the industry as a whole.”
“Athletes, especially African American athletes are at a higher risk of becoming problem gamblers than the average person,” said Amani Toomer, trustee at GVC Foundation US and former New York Giants wide receiver and Super Bowl XLII winner. “I view EPIC’s program as crucial for promoting integrity in sports.”
CAPTION (left to right): John Millington and Paul Buck of EPIC Risk Management, Kathleen Boozang, Dean of Seton Hall Law School, and Martin Lycka, Amani Toomer and
Bill Pascrell, III, of GVC Foundation US
