Collection of leading experts unveiled for EPIC's panel at SIGA Summit

EPIC Global Solutions is partnering with the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) to present a stellar panel of industry experts to discuss the issue of gambling-related harm in sport during the 2024 edition of the SIGA Summit on Female Leadership in Sport, hosted by Mastercard in New York on March 6^th 2024.

Sports betting integrity will be at the heart of the panel presented by EPIC, the leading global authority on utilising lived experience to minimise harm through gambling, with the all-female line-up, showcasing women who are leading the discussion and addressing the challenges that sport faces in relation to this issue.

Making up the panel as leading authority voices on the topic are:

-Sabrina Perel, Chief Compliance Officer, NFL

-Alex Roth, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel – League Governance & Policy, NBA

Perel, who has served the NFL since 2013, is the league’s attorney with responsibility for overseeing its code of conduct and policies that cover integrity issues such as anti-corruption and gambling.

Roth is a graduate of Yale Law School who has represented the NBA for the past five years, initially joining as associate counsel for league governance and policy and later progressing to associate vice president and senior associate counsel for league governance and policy, before taking on her current position this year.

Watkins has progressed to her current role with Fan Duel after holding four leading commercial posts with the gambling operator in as many years, having previously been with another operator with considerable strength in the European market, Paddy Power.

Thielen is a member of EPIC’s lived experience team, educating audiences across the US – principally student-athletes and staff from the NCAA – having suffered from her own experienced of problem gambling after injury curtailed a promising boxing career. She is also a senior director with Nicasa Behavioral Health Services, who she first joined 22 years ago.

The discussion will be moderated by EPIC’s VP of partnerships, Teresa Fiore, who is an expert on the gambling industry in North America, having previously been manager of responsible gambling and corporate social responsibility at PointsBet after spending five years as programme manager of research and responsible gaming at Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

A globally leading voice on minimising gambling-related harm, EPIC work with several major sporting brands around the world to educate, advise and consult on reducing the risks associated with all forms of wagering. The NCAA, MLB, NFLA PAF and MLSPA are among their major clients in the US, while key competitions and organisations that they partner with on the other side of the Atlantic include the EFL, Premiership Rugby, RFU, RPA and PCA.

The annual SIGA Summit on Female Leadership in Sport is a key component of the SIGAWomen Programme that aims to close the gender gap in relation to the number of women represented on the board of sports organisations globally. Hosted in the same week as International Women’s Day, this one-day event unlocks the power of networking, learning, and mobilising the sports community to commit to integrity and gender equity both on and off the field of play.

Martin Bland, director of business development at EPIC Global Solutions and a member of SIGA’s Sports Betting Integrity Committee, is looking forward to seeing the panel make an impression on the summit hosted at Mastercard’s Technology Hub in Manhattan, stating:

“We’re delighted to be supporting SIGA’s Summit on Female Leadership in Sport, which will provide us with a fantastic platform to help inform the sporting community about the ongoing challenges that gambling harm can pose to their people and competitions.

“The issue of gambling within women’s sport remains under-discussed compared to men’s competitions, but we hope to take this opportunity to show that it’s an issue that doesn’t discriminate by gender and that there are solutions and support available to try and negate the issue among female athletes and professionals in elite sport.”

Katie Simmonds, SIGA’s Global COO and Managing Director of SIGAWomen, extended a warm welcome to EPIC Global Solutions:

“We are excited that SIGA Member, EPIC Global Solutions, is partnering with SIGAWomen on the session dedicated to Sports Betting Integrity at the upcoming SIGA Summit. Not only is this topic one of SIGA’s key areas of reform, but often, women’s sport is left behind in the conversations.

“This panel will showcase the women leading the charge in this field in the US in both men and women’s sport, as well as address the threats sports betting poses on the women’s game and the solutions. Do not miss it!”

For more information on the SIGAWomen Summit including speakers, event guide and to register, please click here.