EPIC Global Solutions will spread gambling harm awareness across Scotland through the recently announced William Hill–Scottish Professional Football League sponsorship deal.
Last week, William Hill agreed to a five-year deal with the SPFL, becoming the title sponsor and official betting partner of all four divisions of Scottish football.
EPIC, a gambling harm minimisation consultancy, has been included in the deal to deliver a gambling harm awareness programme, educating players, staff and supporters at all SPFL clubs from the start of the 2024/25 season.
This programme will be delivered predominantly via face-to-face sessions, with audiences learning from the lived experience of those who have faced problem gambling. It will also be the first of its kind to encompass the entire competition across Scotland.
John Millington, Senior Director at EPIC Global Solutions, stated: “We’re proud that we’ve once again been seen as the perfect partner to raise awareness around problem gambling issues and we’re grateful to William Hill and the SPFL for bringing this opportunity together.
“We look forward to engaging with new audiences in Scotland from next season and helping to minimise the risks that gambling can pose in a high-risk sector like elite sport.”
EPIC has a similar agreement in place with SkyBet and the EFL, where it has engaged with over 12,000 players in the past six seasons. The gambling harm minimisation consultancy has also been delivering education across clubs and leagues globally, including Rangers FC’s men’s and women’s teams, the MLS and Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League.
The SPFL partnership is also the first formal arrangement in which supporters will be directly engaged through each club’s community trust, helping to extend the message’s reach further.
EPIC has delivered its education, training and consultancy for other sports too, including across rugby union, horse racing and cricket in Britain, as well as in the US with the NCAA, NFL Players Association PAF, MLB and MLSPA.
Millington added: “The new partnership between William Hill and the SPFL follows the recommendations we shared when we released our Gambling Harm Review in Sport white paper in February 2023.
“In that report, guided by experts from the world of elite sport and the gambling ecosystem, we advised that in order to safeguard against the potential for sports betting harm, any new sponsorship agreement between gambling operators and sports organisations should have measures built in, such as education or awareness campaigns, to try and prevent problem gambling.
“This new arrangement does exactly that, for the benefit of players, staff and supporters in Scottish football, who can all learn from our distinct lived experience-based approach and create an open culture within clubs to talk about the issue.”