Onrise and EPIC agree strategic partnership for gambling harm prevention

Onrise, the trusted mental health platform for athletes across the US, has agreed to a strategic partnership with leading harm prevention consultants EPIC Global Solutions to enhance gambling harm prevention services for athletes and coaches at professional and collegiate level.

Collaborating to deal with the growing issues connected to sports wagering and other forms of gambling, EPIC’s expertise – grounded in lived experience of gambling addiction – will support the 250+ peer support experts at Onrise by providing face-to-face or digital education options for sports organizations to promote awareness of safer relationships with gambling products.

The additional service will be made available to supplement the comprehensive Onrise network, which includes peer support from retired and certified athletes, licensed therapist, psychiatric care and sports performance, delivered through secure one-on-one sessions with flexible scheduling.

Kim Quigley, founder and CEO of Onrise, brokered the partnership after seeing evidence of EPIC’s delivery method, which currently includes education programs to NCAA student-athletes and staff as well as major league professionals.

“Student-athletes live in a time where gambling and sport intertwine in so many ways, with significant wagering interest in collegiate sport,” said Kim Quigley, MD, CEO of Onrise.

“This partnership with EPIC Global Solutions is about getting in early, before a bet becomes a burden they carry in silence. By pairing world-class gambling education with Onrise’s always-on, athlete-specific mental health care, we can spot risk sooner, intervene faster, and protect their health, future, and the team communities depending on them.”

Paul Buck, CEO of EPIC Global Solutions, added:

“This strategic partnership has arisen because we both felt there was a real alignment of shared values between the two organizations. Gambling and sports wagering is growing fast in the US, not least in the sports and college sectors where we both operate.

“The two organizations are on a growth curve and will be stronger together for our clients and beneficiaries. We are both people centered and athlete focused, dedicated to doing good for mental health, wellbeing and performance.”

The partnership is announced as Problem Gambling Awareness Month begins in the US, running throughout March to raise wider understanding of how gambling issues can be identified and prevented.