The NCAA and EPIC Risk Management have announced a partnership to create a comprehensive awareness program intended to provide student-athletes with resources aimed at minimizing gambling-related harm.
The program is expected to be available to all NCAA schools and conferences later this year. More than 500,000 student-athletes participate in NCAA athletics.
“This program is the latest action by the national office as the membership adapts to increased legalized sports wagering,” NCAA Executive Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Stan Wilcox said in a press release. “The NCAA continually assesses the evolving sports wagering landscape, and we are committed to providing tools, resources and educational initiatives for our schools and conferences.”
The program will consist of in-person workshops and seminars, pre-recorded sessions, and on-demand virtual resources. Materials for the program will be made available to student-athletes, as well as coaches, administrators, game officials, and health care and support personnel.
“Our team is made up of industry experts, many with lived experience of gambling addiction, committed to raising awareness and preventing gambling harm,” said Paul Buck, CEO of EPIC Risk Management. “We are excited to work with the NCAA to further equip student-athletes and athletics personnel with the most comprehensive gambling harm preventative services, support, awareness, and education.”
EPIC has worked with the National Football League Players Association and the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer. It also provides education and resources to more than 15,000 athletes and more than 50,000 students globally in the highest-risk sectors for gambling harm.
The team @epicpgc is reaching an important audience. Student athletes are particularly vulnerable as sports gambling accelerates. Nice to see the men and women of @epicpgc working to prevent harm. https://t.co/msjxEchkek
— HJLExplorer (@HJLExplorer) January 27, 2022
NFL-backed group offers gambling prevention grant
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has created the Agility Grant program which will provide funding to nonprofit organizations across the nation that offer problem gambling prevention programs.
The NCPG, with funding support from the National Football League Foundation, initially plans to award $20,000 to $40,000 grants to four to six nonprofit organizations. The plan is to provide support to areas where there are currently a lack of adequate problem gambling prevention programs.
“Problem gambling prevention providers are historically under-resourced,” NCPG Executive Director Keith Whyte said in a press release. “These Agility Grants will provide support and help build some much-needed momentum towards reducing the long-term personal, social, and economic costs of problem gambling. Funding projects will foster new ideas, elevate new voices, and create new partnerships to strengthen the efficacy of prevention programming. We encourage all eligible organizations to apply.”
Application deadline
The NCPG has begun accepting applications for the first round of grants, and applicants have until Feb. 22 to apply. Announcement of the winners is scheduled to take place in March. Applicants will be evaluated on a number of criteria, including alignment to Agility Grants program principles, funding strategies, and potential community impact.
The grant program is built on three primary principles: innovation, collaboration, and amplification. Applicants have the option of applying under the categories of “Prevention Innovation,” “Amplification,” or both.
Under Prevention Innovation, organizations are judged on fostering and accelerating the development, deployment, or research of gambling addiction prevention programs and their plans to address key populations. Under Amplification, organizations are judged on their ability to increase community awareness, response, and support by the identification and elevation of new leaders, partnerships, and voices within the problem gambling community.
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