The European betting industry has joined forces with EU Athletes to launch an educational campaign aimed at helping professional sportspeople better understand and deal with issues surrounding the integrity of sport and betting.

The new education campaign for athletes will consist of a code of conduct, jointly developed by EU Athletes, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) and the European Sports Security Association (ESSA), and be supported by face-to-face presentations and online resources dedicated to providing ongoing support.

“Education for players is an essential component in protecting and promoting sporting integrity. This new pilot programme will develop best practice in player education on sports betting issues across Europe “says Walter Palmer, Secretary General of EU Athletes.

“We are delighted that the EGBA and ESSA have agreed to work with the player associations from across Europe to develop player education on sports betting integrity issues.  In taking the initiative both EGBA and ESSA have set an excellent example of corporate responsibility”, says Palmer.

 “Licensed betting operators have a vested interest in helping sports maintain the highest levels of integrity. We also understand that athletes need to be educated to avoid situations that could raise suspicion or even trigger corruption. We believe this code and educational campaign are a very important first step towards preventing these situations, and we look forward to working with the EU Athletes and ESSA in implementing it ” commented Sigrid Ligné, Secretary General, EGBA.

“We are delighted to be able to work with EU Athletes to educate sports people about the role they need to play in upholding integrity in sports, just as we work with our own members to ensure they employ the very latest security procedures so that, when illegal betting does occur, we know about it in real time,” says Khalid Ali, Secretary General of ESSA.

The code of conduct provides the foundation for the education programme. The campaign will provide concrete advice on how to avoid or address specific risk situations that can be faced by sports professionals. This will be rolled out by the EU Athletes via its member player association and will initially target a number of high profile sports including cycling, handball and basketball in France, Germany and Spain.