Entain Foundation U.S. and Epic Risk Management Wednesday announced a three-year agreement with the Major League Soccer Players Association. Per the agreement, the players’ association will be provided with customized gambling-harm-education and awareness programs.
“This national program will provide crucial education and advice regarding the ever-growing relationship between wagering and professional sports in the U.S.” said Epic Risk Management Director of Sports Partnerships Ben McGregor in a statement.
“The players, staff, and MLS in general have a global reach and will therefore be subject to considerable sports wagering attention around the world,” the statement continued. “This program is intended to provide MLSPA members with informed understanding to minimize the risk of sporting-integrity issues that can arise from gambling activities, as well as utilizing our considerable lived experience from facilitators who have elite sports backgrounds, who can also advise on the effects that gambling-related harm can have on an individual’s performance and welfare.”
Epic will provide gambling-harm-prevention education and awareness workshops and advisory and prevention resources. The content will be made available to MLSPA membership through funding provided by Entain Foundation U.S.
“This partnership with EPIC Risk Management and Entain Foundation U.S will enhance our ability to educate and equip our player pool as the presence and inherent risks of sports betting continue to evolve and permeate players’ lives,” said MLSPA COO Dan Jones.
Entain Foundation U.S. was launched in 2019 by the Entain Global Foundation and the Entain Group and sponsors a variety of information and education programs on problem gambling throughout the United States. Its trustees include Martin Lycka, Senior Vice President for American Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Gambling and Trustee of Entain Foundation U.S.; Princeton Public Affairs Group Partner Bill Pascrell, III; and Amani Toomer, former New York Giants wide receiver.
“Given the significant ongoing rise in the popularity of sports betting throughout the country, the importance of educating athletes and the public at large cannot be overstated,” Lycka said. “We are glad that the funding provided by Entain Foundation U.S. has helped EPIC, a global leader in the delivery of problem gambling education, to have such a huge impact on one of the highest-risk populations.”
