SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
EPIC Risk Management has announced the addition of former Premier League and international footballer Simon Haworth who will help deliver its education sessions on gambling-related harm.
The ex-Wales, Coventry City, Cardiff City and Wigan Athletic forward has recently joined the gambling harm minimisation consultancy’s long-standing partner WHYSUP as a programme facilitator.
As an extension of that arrangement, Haworth will join WHYSUP Founder Mark Murray in supporting EPIC’s session delivery across a range of high-risk sectors as an associate.
Haworth said: “It’s brilliant how EPIC raises awareness and educates. It means a lot to me to be able to share my lived experience within the sports industry. I’m looking forward to being part of the EFL programme we deliver, and the prospect of the MLS Players Association sessions too.”
Having seen his professional football career curtailed due to injury during his time at his final club Tranmere Rovers, the player said that he turned to ‘intensive betting’ on horse racing, which led to considerable financial and emotional consequences.
EPIC has explained that, with the group, he will now seek to turn his negatives into a positive as he delivers his lived experience story to diverse audiences across the sports and education sector.
“I’m really interested in working in the horse racing arena as well; this is an especially rewarding area of work for me, as my gambling addiction was betting on the horses,” added Haworth.
“It’s a nice progression from a recent personal project, where I co-founded a podcast called Football Untold where players are interviewed with a focus on their mental health.
“I absolutely love sharing my lived experience; I really enjoy doing it as it’s very powerful. It’s really therapeutic as part of my recovery too.”
