A landmark year in the relationship between EPIC Global Solutions and the European Athletes & Players Association (EAPA) has taken a further step towards making gambling harm prevention and awareness more widely available to the continent’s elite player associations, with the launch of a multi-lingual eLearning module.
Throughout 2025, EPIC, EAPA and their member athlete associations from professional sports across Europe have been cooperating on the implementation of ‘PROtect Integrity Responsibly’ Erasmus+ project. The PROtect Integrity campaign is aimed at educating athletes about match fixing and betting integrity, with its current chapter focusing specifically on gambling harm prevention.
Research and face-to-face training – including a ‘Train the Trainer’ day in Madrid during the summer, enabling associations to better support their members with gambling issues – have now led to the launch of online materials that can be accessed on demand in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Danish. These provide six eLearning modules to help Europe-based athletes in selected sports to better understand gambling harm awareness, athlete vulnerability, the gambling spectrum, mental health & performance, spotting the signs, and sporting integrity & problematic gambling.
The content of the eLearning modules was based on the outcome of research with EAPA members conducted by EPIC’s senior research manager Anca-Maria Gherghel, with the findings of her report directing the nature of the education on gambling harm prevention required for professional athletes and players within the EAPA ecosystem.
The project consortium that has brought the concept to life is composed of ten members, with EAPA as the coordinator, EPIC Global Solutions providing subject matter expertise and the following eight player associations representing five major team sports in five different European countries: AJSF (men’s futsal, Spain), AJFSF (women’s futsal, Spain), RPI (rugby, Ireland), HSF (handball, Denmark), GIBA (basketball, Italy), AIP (volleyball, Italy), SNB (basketball, France), AJPH (handball, France).
EPIC has also helped each of the above associations to better serve their members by providing them with assets that help individuals to recognise signs of problem gambling, including infographics on what to look out for, and access to EPIC’s ‘gambling spectrum’ concept, which helps to identify the stage you are at in your relationship with various forms of betting.
“The eLearning module developed as part of the PROtect Integrity Responsibly project is an extremely valuable tool for players, complementing in-person education,” explained Sergio Alonso, general secretary, Asociación de Jugadores de Fútbol Sala (AJFS; Spanish futsal). “It’s free, easily accessible, and helps raise awareness about gambling-related harm by identifying existing issues and preventing future ones.
“The gambling spectrum developed by EPIC clearly shows the different stages at which an athlete may find themselves when it comes to betting and gaming.
“Having a clear infographics poster to show during visits – with visual data, questions and answers that are easy to relate to – makes players much more aware of how serious the issue is, not only for themselves but also for their teammates.”
His thoughts were echoed by Julie Campassens, director of Basketball Players Union (BPU; French basketball), who explained how the various player associations across Europe are now better equipped to deal with the potential challenges that gambling-related harm can pose. She added:
“Players’ associations have a central role in informing and educating their members about the risks and consequences of gambling. They must also know how to recognise when someone is in difficulty and offer support in whatever form is needed.
“When a player is injured, they lose the thrill of the game. Betting on their own sport – or on something they believe they understand – can become a substitute for those emotions. And if they start winning, that emotional reward gets reinforced, which can easily lead to serious problems later on.
“Thanks to the Train the Trainer workshop, we’re better prepared to talk about gambling harm during the team visits, identify early signs of potential issues, and support those at risk.”
For further information regarding the origins of the PROtect Integrity project, visit the EAPA website here.