Sky Bet to fund £1m EFL gambling awareness programme
Operator to deliver gambling harm education for all 72 English Football League clubs
Sky Bet will fund a campaign to educate all 72 football league clubs about gambling related harm as part of its renewed sponsorship of the English Football League (EFL).
The operator will fork out £1m on the programme which will be delivered to football players and staff by harm minimisation consultancy, EPIC Risk Management, during a five-year deal.
According to Sky Bet, the aim of the training will be to ensure that players understand the potential risks associated with gambling and the rules around betting integrity, as well as how to look out for signs of potential harm in their teammates.
Birmingham City, Norwich City, Charlton Athletic, Brentford, Accrington Stanley, Carlisle United, Lincoln City, Newport County, Oldham Athletic and Portsmouth will be the first EFL clubs to take part in the training before the 2018/19 campaign kicks off.
Sky Betting & Gaming CEO Richard Flint said: “When we announced the extension of our EFL sponsorship, we were keen to put safer gambling at the heart of our renewed partnership.
Sky Betting & Gaming CEO, Richard Flint
“By funding such a vital service for every club we want to play our part in reducing gambling related harm amongst their players and wider staff.
“I firmly believe that responsible operators can add value to sport through partnerships like this,” he added.
EPIC Risk Management CEO Paul Buck said: “A recent Professional Players Federation survey concluded that professional sports people are at least three times more likely to be problem gamblers and our work across other professional sports suggest this is understated.
“We look forward to working with Sky Bet and the EFL to ensure gambling related harm is reduced across the players and the clubs in what we believe is the most comprehensive programme ever completed in world sport.”
Sky Bet pledged to put responsible gambling at the heart of its EFL sponsorship renewal and all 72 clubs now display responsible gambling messages on their club shirts.
EFL CEO Shaun Harvey added: “The longevity of any partnership is dependent on each party understanding what the other is trying to achieve and it is clear that the EFL and Sky Bet are aligned in our ambition to increase the collective efforts of supporting issues around problem gambling.”