Martin Bland joins international committee on sports betting integrity
EPIC Risk Management’s Martin Bland is furthering the company’s influence in the sphere of sports betting integrity, having been co-opted onto an international panel to discuss the pertinent subject.
The company’s director of business development hails from a background in sports analytics and data companies, which will be an added benefit to the insight he can bring to his new position on SIGA’s Sports Betting Integrity Committee.
The premise of the group sees experts coming together to discuss how the sports industry as a whole can achieve the highest standards of sports betting integrity, to protect sport from match-fixing, criminal influence, and reputational damage, and to ensure sports athletes and fans are protected.
EPIC’s specific role, through Martin’s place on the committee, is to advise on the implementation of preventative measures through education and consultancy.
EPIC became members of SIGA earlier this year and are working with the world’s leading organisation for sports integrity on global initiatives to promote the highest standards of sports betting integrity to sports organisations worldwide.
Speaking about how EPIC and SIGA mutually benefit one another, Bland explained:
“SIGA has created a prominent and powerful movement that has elevated the message and importance of sports betting integrity. Through its membership of SIGA, EPIC will support SIGA’s network and influence in the sports industry.
“Partnering with the world’s biggest sports leagues, EPIC offers SIGA access to expertise on how safer gambling can positively impact sports integrity.
“We bring a very niche skillset; the prevention of gambling-related harm through the unique insight that only EPIC’s lived experience approach provides. This ensures others can learn from that lived experience.”
Bland played his part in this month’s SIGA Sport Integrity Week, speaking on a number of panels including the ‘Solutions for Sports Betting Integrity and Responsible Gambling’ panel (below) at the Football Integrity Forum in the Portuguese city of Porto.
