New date for the Gambling Harm Prevention in Sport Summit at Wembley Stadium

The Gambling Harm Prevention in Sport Summit, presented by EPIC Risk Management and UCFB’s Global Institute of Sport (GIS), has a new date – Wednesday 8th February 2023 at Wembley Stadium.

The event had initially been scheduled for this week before regrettably needing to be postponed due to the logistical challenge presented by Wednesday’s nationwide train strike, but the new date ensures that the event can re-convene in the new year with the same opportunities for the invite-only audience to hear from keynote speakers, engage in discussion around best practice and learn from the findings from the first year of activity by EPIC’s Pro Sport Advisory Board.

More than 100 key decision makers – including C-level executives and player welfare specialists from major sports clubs, leagues, governing bodies, as well as their support networks and the gambling industry – are expected to attend the pioneering summit at the home of English football.

They will hear from the select panel of player protection and welfare experts from the sporting, esports and gambling sectors that have come together to form the aforementioned Pro Sport Advisory Board. They will be unveiling the collective steps that they believe need to be taken to reduce gambling-related issues within the ecosystem of elite sports and esports, with discussions over the release of their inaugural white paper supported by ‘lived experience’ stories from those who have been directly or indirectly affected by problem gambling.

Among the high-profile speakers on the day will be former Premier League manager Brian McDermott, who will be able to reflect on the challenges of witnessing forms of addiction within the dressing room during his esteemed career throughout the football pyramid.

Ben McGregor, director of sports partnerships at EPIC Risk Management, is pleased that the event is now able to take a new place in the schedule and is looking forward to the many benefits it will bring, explaining:

“We are delighted that our partners from the Global Institute of Sport and the staff at Wembley Stadium have been quick to agree a new date when this hotly anticipated and important summit for the sport industry can take place.

“This inaugural event provides a unique opportunity to bring together and help support key decision-makers across sports in making a genuine difference when it comes to addressing the issue of reducing the risk of gambling harm, now and in the future.

“We are excited to have a new date to look forward to and welcoming our guests on February 8th 2023!”

Though the summit is only accessible to individuals on an invite-only basis, EPIC and GIS will be joining forces to release the findings of the ‘Gambling Harm in Pro Sport’ white paper after the event takes place, to ensure that a wider sporting audience can learn from the investigations and act upon wider recommendations to remove gambling harm from their industry wherever possible.