Review: SBC Betting on Sports Europe – Digital
EPIC Risk Management hosted a panel at the SBC Betting on Sports Europe – Digital yesterday taking a look at the links between Sports Betting Integrity and Problem Gambling.
EPIC’s Head of US Delivery Mark Potter led the discussion alongside Michelle Evans (Head of Communications and Wellbeing – PFA Scotland), Scott Davies (Lead Pro Sport Facilitator – EPIC Risk Management), and Lee Calverley (Sports Integrity Lead – GVC Holdings).
Here we take a look at several key points that we raised from yesterday’s session.
Scott Davies, EPIC’s Lead Pro-sport Facilitator
“And I think there are three ways: There are people who don’t breach the rules; people breach the rules with ignorance thinking they can get away with it and then there are people who can’t stick to the rules because of their addiction. It’s not something where I believe that everyone is trying to beat the system, there will be people out there who struggle to stop themselves.”
Michelle Evans, Head of Communications and Wellbeing at PFA Scotland
“I think that, whether we’re looking at gambling addiction or mental health, you can never do enough. You have to keep going out there and spreading the message.
“The lived experience and the awareness of actually seeing a sports person and someone that has walked in those same shoes in front of you is fundamental. I can’t stress enough how important I personally think that is in trying to make athletes aware of what they can and can’t do.
“Seeing someone give a talk, and discuss their lived experiences, can trigger something in these players and make them think about their own activities – which could possibly resonate with them on a personal level. Having more people come forward and tell their story is the only way that we can try and raise awareness among players. We must continue to educate them.”
Lee Calverly, Sports Integrity Lead at GVC Holdings
“I think that for sports and operators, the main issue that arises is the confidence in the product. Sports rely on fans and commercial sponsorships – if there’s an issue with integrity, that’s going to impact the sport’s revenues.
“On the rule breaches side though, I certainly wouldn’t describe myself as an expert in terms of studies that have been done into this. But I do think that the correlation between a participant having a problem gambling issue and placing bets on events they shouldn’t be betting on seems logical in terms of the heightened risk.”
For more analysis for yesterday’s discussion, head to SBC News’ review by SBC Sports Betting Community journalist, Erin-Marie Gallagher click here.
