#IWD2024: EPIC present panel to female sporting leaders in New York
On the eve of International Women’s Day, EPIC Global Solutions joined forces with some of the world’s most iconic sporting brands to present to female leaders in elite sport at a prestigious New York event.
EPIC presented a panel entitled ‘Navigating Uncharted Territories: Sport Betting Integrity’ at the SIGA Annual Summit on Female Leadership in Sport, in order to highlight the impact that the repeal of PASPA in 2018 has had on the sporting and wagering landscapes in the US.
Sports betting integrity is a core pillar of SIGA’s reform agenda, with its Universal Standards aimed at sports organisations, regulators, governments, and operators, to safeguard the industry.
The panel was set up to outline what is being done to ensure that the integrity of sport competitions and athletes are effectively protected against illegal betting, match-fixing, sport betting fraud and the pernicious influence of international organised crime.
Joining EPIC’s VP of partnerships, Teresa Fiore (who moderated the panel) and program facilitator Liz Thielen were Sabrina Perel, chief compliance officer at the NFL; Alex Roth, VP & assistant general counsel – league governance & policy at the NBA; and Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, global CEO of SIGA.
As a prelude to the panel, Perel provided a keynote address on her own experiences of leadership and how the legalisation of sports wagering in the US has impacted upon the role she undertakes for the NFL, including an explanation of how they analysed overseas wagering markets, policies and sporting integrity tools to assess the steps they needed to take in preparation for the impact that PASPA’s repeal was potentially set to have on their competition.
The panel covered a variety of issues, with EPIC’s Thielen, a former leading boxer, providing a lived experience outlook, explaining the harmful role that casino gaming played in her life, following the combined effects of injury ending her career and losing a close relative.
Roth gave the NBA’s perspective on how the landscape has changed since legalised sports wagering took the place of offshore wagering or illegal ‘backstreet’ betting activity in the majority of states. She explained how the league works transparently with gambling operators and state regulators to monitor for potential integrity issues.
As a former leader of numerous European football leagues, Macedo de Medeiros recalled how he worked with national governments, legislators and law enforcement agencies to protect his competitions from the risk of organised crime relating to unscrupulous betting activities in unregulated markets.
“I think the discussion went very well – the audience was very interested,” explained EPIC’s Liz Thielen, speaking at the conclusion of the event.
“This is a topic that there’s a lot of interest and energy around, and we’re able to have this discussion at a very pivotal time as the landscape of gambling is very much changing.
“Being able to have a space where we’re looking at various aspects of sports and things that impact athletes and sport from the lens of a female perspective is fantastic, especially as we had a lot of male allies here too.
“With March being Problem Gambling Awareness Month in the US, and International Women’s Day coming up, this event marries together two things that are really important and dear to my heart. It was an incredible event and I was honoured to be a part of it.”
To watch the panel in full, check out the re-run of the live stream below.
