SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Former NBA point guard player Stevin ‘Hedake’ Smith is the latest athlete to join EPIC Global Solutions in their effort to promote gambling harm awareness.
Smith became centre of attention in the late 1990s for his involvement in a point-shaving scandal, landing him a one-year prison sentence and costing him a career in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks.
The story unfolded after a gambler approached him to change the final score of a game, which EPIC says remains a ‘very pertinent’ issue for student-athletes some 30 years after Smith’s wrongdoing.
However, he remains determined to make a change in sports, evident from his latest move to become a US sports advisor for EPIC and deliver a range of education sessions to teams, athletes, coaches and staff connected to the NCAA, MLB, and MLSPA.
“I’m passionate about wanting to tell my story and get out there to prevent this from happening again,” he explained.
“I’ve been able to tell my story to players previously and I’m able to have a relationship with all of them in the audience because of the way I deliver my message and coming from one big fraternity in sport.
“Knowing that EPIC has a global reach is something that really stood out to me about this opportunity and I’m passionate about getting out there and speaking about my experience.”
Smith’s involvement with the educational campaign will also be accompanied by the release of his eponymous autobiography, ‘Hedake’, in the coming months.
Teresa Fiore, EPIC’s VP of Partnerships, added: “We’re proud to welcome Hedake to our team and can’t wait to see the impact he’ll have on audiences.
“In being approached to shave points on game, Hedake has experienced a type of gambling-related harm which is different to many of our other team members.
“His story represents an area of increasing concern within sports, which adds to the range of our education designed to benefit our valued partners and the key people in their organisations.”
