William Hill and SPFL partner for gambling harm prevention programme

By Lucy Wynne

As part of their duty for Safer Gambling Week (18-24 November), William Hill has partnered with the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), to host educational talks and raise awareness about gambling harm prevention.

Almost one third of SPFL clubs have hosted this season’s new gambling harm prevention programme, totalling up to 16 clubs with five more set to join the initiative by the end of the awareness week.

The programme is available to players, staff and supporters across all four SPFL divisions. William Hill and SPFL have also taken EPOC Global Solutions under their wing to host a range of talks on how to spot problem gambling, gambling harm prevention sessions, as well as talks revealing former professional footballers’ first-hand experiences with gambling harm.

Ex-professional footballers sharing their experiences at every session are former Wales U21 forward Marc Williams and former Scottish international Dominic Matteo. Both have dealt with gambling harm but turned their lives around to help others struggling with similar issues. During the talks, they delve into how their gambling habits spiralled and ended up negatively affecting their careers, relationships and lives in general.

A survey taken before and after the programme revealed that players’ awareness of gambling risks increased by 22%, proving that the programme is effective and is working when it comes to educating players on the harmful effects of irresponsible gambling. 

Delving into the stats, the survey spanned 226 first-team football players across the SPFL. Originally 72% said they were informed of the risks and vulnerabilities athletes face when it comes to gambling, but by the end of the session that percentage increased to 94%.

SPFL Group CEO, Neil Doncaster, said: “It’s great to see such a strong start to the campaign. The feedback has been positive and while the size of the problem remains relatively small in Scottish football, we can’t afford to be complacent and are looking forward to a fuller roll-out of the programme as the season progresses.”

Per Widerström, CEO at Evoke (owners of William Hill) stated: “This initiative, which has already made great progress, will help ensure that local fans, players and colleagues of football clubs know how to identify signs of problem gambling and minimise the risks of gambling-related harm.”