Craig Cornforth elected as board member for the IGCCB
EPIC Global Solutions’ safer gambling manager Craig Cornforth has taken on an additional voluntary role to help shape the standards needed for counsellors who work with anyone facing serious gambling issues, after being elected as a board member for the International Gambling Counselor Certification Board (IGCCB).
Having been through his own struggle with gambling addiction that cost him his job, home and relationship, alongside severe mental health battles, Cornforth has been a hugely insightful member of the EPIC team for the past three years, combining his professional role with personal experience to try and drive positive change in the levels of protection offered by the gambling industry to its customers.
His impact has been positively welcomed by the company’s partners and has led to other invitations to join global panels offering thought leadership and advice around gambling harm prevention, including being co-opted onto the Casino Guru Global Self Exclusion panel prior to this additional IGCCB role.
The IGCCB was established to offer voluntary national and international certifications that assure a body of qualified and competent professionals working in the field of clinical treatment of individuals with at-risk, problematic and disordered gambling and their families/concerned others. Certification standards established by the IGCCB represent the current best practices in the field of disordered gambling and gaming treatment.
Alongside other board members who include academics, treatment providers, and those who can bring their own lived experience of problem gambling to the discussion, Cornforth will be tasked with ensuring that the IGCCB will continue to deliver on its mission of ‘Creating a community of helping professionals that make a difference to people and families impacted by gambling and gaming disorders’.
Speaking about how the opportunity materialised, Cornforth explained:
“After working collaboratively with Jody Bechtold [IGCCB president of the board of directors] on the Casino Guru Global Self Exclusion panel in Bratislava, our shared passion for safer gambling and desire to help instigate positive change led to her asking if I’d be happy to help the IGCCB from a lived experience point of view, as it is a perspective which isn’t as heavily represented as they need as present.
“I look forward to providing my insight to an institution that is keen on raising standards of support and treatment for individuals and their families who are suffering from gambling-related harm, as I know from my own experience just how critical this can be in times of need.”
Under the IGCCB’s rules, Cornforth can serve a maximum of three years as a board member, potentially allowing him to support the organisation in the role until 2027.
