SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
EPIC Global Solutions and Signify Group have formed a partnership to protect sport from the increasing threat of online abuse connected to sports betting.
Aiming to provide more comprehensive protection for athletes, teams and sports organisations, the pair will recognise one another as an ‘official partner’. Signify’s data-led insights and analysis of online abuse will be fused with EPIC’s experience in minimising gambling harm to enhance research and understanding around the issue.
The collaboration aims to drive better understanding of the motivations, triggers and symptoms of online threats made to athletes and other participants and how proactive measures can be deployed by sports organisations to mitigate them.
This experience will be shared with leading player associations and rights holders around the world to support the education of their athletes on how to prevent the impact of all forms of gambling-related harm.
Mike Holinski, Head of Business Development at EPIC Global Solutions, said: “By combining our expertise with Signify, we are reinforcing our commitment to preventing gambling harm and online abuse, offering comprehensive protection for athletes.
“We look forward to further enhancing our globally-leading education, consultancy and training to the elite and collegiate sports sectors via this live insight that will add further weight to the lived experience we share with sporting institutions and their key players on a daily basis.”
Meanwhile, the pair will collaborate to support each other’s services in new markets and with each other’s sports partners.
The two organisations will also explore digital product development to enhance respective services, as part of an agreed package of mutually beneficial marketing, networking and business development opportunities.
“This partnership represents a significant step forward in our mission to protect athletes from online abuse and ensure their well-being both on and off the field,” added Jake Marsh, Head of Signify Sport.
“We are supportive of EPIC’s mission to take the harm out of gambling via lived experience. Leveraging EPIC’s powerful platform to share Signify’s insights and findings on gambling-triggered online abuse will provide a unique opportunity to educate elite athletes and student-athletes on this concerning by-product of gambling-related harm.
“Given the recent increase of this global phenomenon, this is a timely and valuable initiative for all involved.”
This partnership will enhance EPIC’s educational programmes – delivered to athletes in a range of globally leading sports competitions such as the NCAA, MLB and EFL – by incorporating Signify’s expertise and data, ensuring a holistic and ever more impactful approach to athlete protection.
