EPIC and Racing Welfare shake on partnership

EPIC Risk Management to work in the world of horse racing for the first time, in support of gambling harm minimisation initiatives throughout the industry.

EPIC Risk Management is set to deliver its gambling harm minimisation expertise to the world of horse racing for the first time, as it unveils a brand-new partnership with Racing Welfare, a registered charity supporting the workforce of British horseracing. The announcement comes during Safer Gambling Week, a cross-industry initiative to promote safer gambling in the UK and Ireland.

EPIC’s new project is intended to raise awareness of, minimise and ultimately prevent gambling-related harm, and will work with Racing Welfare as the charity’s Safer Gambling Education Partner to provide sector-leading education to those working within the horse racing industry. The programme will be delivered by individuals with lived experience of problem gambling.

Through delivering high-impact workshops and sharing personal experiences of problem gambling, Racing Welfare and EPIC aim to raise awareness of the help that is available to those working within the racing industry, as well as sharing practical advice on effective management and control measures. 

The partnership will see EPIC’s educational programme added to Racing Welfare’s portfolio of support services. The charity’s director of welfare, Simone Sear, said: 

“Helping individuals struggling with addiction is a key part of the day-to-day work that we do here at Racing Welfare, as has been the case for many years. We know that gambling addiction often does not exist in isolation, and that it may be linked to other challenges such as substance abuse and mental ill-health. 

“Education has always been a part of our strategy to help racing’s people thrive and to prevent cases of hardship escalating to a point of crisis. This partnership with EPIC signals our commitment to pro-active and preventative action in the face of gambling addiction, as well as continuing to develop our support services to help those in the grip of an addiction.”

EPIC Risk Management director of sports partnerships, Ben McGregor,added: 

“We’re delighted to announce this pioneering partnership with Racing Welfare, our first foray into the sport of horse racing and certainly not our last. Through meaningful, impactful gambling-harm prevention education delivered by our lived experience members of our team – those facilitators who have experienced gambling-harm in their own lives – we are looking forward to partnering with Racing Welfare to engender a culture of gambling free harm in a sport that synonymous with the gambling industry.”

EPIC have also worked with the likes of the Chelsea FC, Arsenal FC, Manchester City FC, English Football League (EFL), the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) the Professional Cricketer’s Association (PCA) and in the US, NFLPA Professional Athletes Foundation and the NCAA. 

Outside the world of sport, EPIC has worked in 27 countries on ground-breaking gambling harm minimisation programmes across financial services, the military, criminal justice, education, and the gambling industry to minimise the risks posed by gambling harm.